Happily Ever After
by Personification of Fluff
Summary: Sequel to 'Once Upon a Time' IK and MS Sure, war's adverted, but what's up with Yura? How can a knight and a thief be a couple? And where has Inuyasha gone? [Complete]
1. The Poisonous Apple

**Title:** Happily Ever After

**Rating:** PG-13 baby!  These fairy tales aren't for little kids!  Not only will they be dealing with adult innuendoes, dark comedy is sooo not for little kids!  Actually, this fic could probably squeeze through the PG line, but it's against my ideals to tell fairy tales to little kiddies.  Why?  A) Hello!  Have you read some of these fairy tales? And B) The censored ones lead to the Disney Complex: where you start believing the only happy endings are the ones where they have a heterosexual marriage, a challenging sex life, lots of kids, everything is always happy, and they day old people wrapped in each other's arms at the same time.  How about never getting married at all?  How about divorce?  How about everything else that can go wrong in a marriage?  And so, that's what I say.  How about we get some REAL fairy tales happening?

**AN**:  Mwa ha!  Another sequel I never thought I would write!  All those expecting sheer insane amounts of fluff…. I'll try not to disappoint you!  All those expecting dark comedy: I will gladly do my best to try and make it as such!  For all those who have heard of Mr. Gardner, and the politically correct fairy tales.  Oh, this is much like that, with, of course, a feminist spin.  

All the research of the fairy tales I did, I got from the site   Go ahead and check it out yourselves!  I think it's awesome.  

So here's the start of the sequel, which I hope you all enjoy.  And by the way, I need some _help so if you know of any riddles, send them to me!  I need them for later on. ^_^  Enjoy!_

~*~

Chapter One: The Poisonous Apple

            Fairy tales are not like life.

            This is sad, but true.

            Fairy tales always have a happily ever after, but life does not.  Life has ups and downs, and never really ends.  

Sango, thundering down the hallway to the dungeons, was learning this the hard way.  She looked at the guard and ordered him to unlock the cell.  When he protested, she yelled at him and pulled rank on him.  The guard reluctantly opened the cell door and Sango told him to leave it unlocked, and leave.  When the guard again paused, Sango whirled on him in fury.  Sango furious was a scary thing.

            "He won't be going anywhere!  Do you think I would risk my position for a liar?  Leave the cell door open, and you can lock it when I'm done talking!"

            The guard scurried away, and the captured liar could understand.  Sango was frightening, at times.  He wished he could run away too.  He looked strained, but he smiled when he looked up at her, slowly standing, despite the heavy manacles on his wrists.  "To what do I owe the honor, my Lady Sango?"

            Tears burned her eyes, and she punched him so hard that he almost fell over.  Miroku rubbed his jaw.  He'd deserved that, but in all honesty, the pain that stabbed him when he saw her eyes had been far worse. 

            "Don't call me that," she hissed at him, too mad to raise her voice.  "Don't you dare call me that, Miroku!  You lied to me!  You told me that you were going to give up being a thief!  You told me you were going to stop so that I wouldn't have to deal with this, so that we wouldn't have to go through it!"  She placed a hand on her broad stomach.  "All of us."

            He tried to apologize, tried to say something, but she caught him off.  "I hate you, Miroku.  I hate you so much that I will be the one to sentence you, and I will tell your son that you died a traitor's death.  Because you are a traitor: to me!  You _lied_!"

            "Sango, my love, I…."

            He awoke in a cold sweat, gasping for breath.  What a nightmare!  He threw off the sheets and stretched, walking out to the balcony of his bedroom. The wind was cold on his bare chest, but it calmed him down.  He took a few deep breaths, and tried to forget the dream.  It would be easier to forget if it hadn't struck so close to home!  Everything  -her tears, her touch, her voice, her swollen baby and talk of a baby boy- it was a mixture of reality and daydreams woven into a hellish trap.  He wanted to marry Sango, and have a child with her, but always a single question plagued him.

            What would they do about Miroku, the King of Thieves?  Simply called by the title, nameless, he did good in the world, making sure people had food in times of hardship.  As a priest he did even more good, not afraid to lend a helping hand, and no peasant would ever give him up.  But eventually, he had long ago accepted, he would one day be caught.

            And then Sango would have to watch him die.

            How could he choose between Sango and a family, and helping people, giving up the carefree life he had come to love?

            There was no life without Sango in it, but at the same time, Sango was not a reason for being, whereas helping people was.  Was it really a choice between life or reason?

            Arms wrapped around him, bringing with them a blanket.  He ran his fingers over Sango's arms.  "I'm sorry if I woke you, Sango."

            "You didn't," she told him.  Kissing his shoulder, she smiled.  "Well, actually, you did.  I'm getting more and more accustomed to having your body next to mine when I sleep.  What I'm going to do when I'm out on the road, I don't know.  What's the matter, Miroku?"

            He sighed, knowing he couldn't lie to her.  "Just a bad dream."  Grinning, he turned in her arms, slipping his arms around her waist.  "Holding you gives me better ones.  Shall I tell you a story, my lady Sango?"

            She nodded, smiling.  "I love hearing your stories.  Please, tell me."

            "Once upon a time, there was a king who had a son, and his wise men told him that if the son were to see the sun before his fourteenth birthday, he would go blind.  And so the young boy was sent into a room without windows, and he had no human companionship, except for a nun.  When the child's fourteenth birthday came around, he was let out, and for the first time saw all the world could hold.  He saw the sun, animals, plants, cities, and towns, and was told of many things, like the motion of the sky, of right and wrong, of companionship.

            "When he saw a girl, he asked his teachers what that was, and the replied to him, jokingly, 'It is a child of evil'.  The king, when he asked the prince what he had liked the most on his excursion, received the answer 'I liked the children of evil the most'.  After having been explained that this meant a female, the king understood, and warned the son, 'Beware of them, for the may lead you into hell'."

            Sango pursed her lips and arched an eyebrow.  "Are you trying to imply that I am the reason for your nightmares?" she asked, sounding hurt.

            With a gentle smile, he kissed her forehead.  "No, Sango, my love: you are the source of all my fantasies and hopes come true.  My nightmares come from my own indecisions."

            The brown-eyed girl understood.  "Those same thoughts bother me, Miroku.  One day we will work them all out.  But if you do decide to give it up, I will say nothing of the matter.  You don't want me to stop being a knight, and I don't want you to stop being a scoundrel.  I like you just the way you are, Miroku.  When the time comes for you to make a choice, you will make the right one and I will love you all the same."

            He sighed, his eyes turning a happy shade of violet.  "I love you, my Lady Sango."  He scooped her up into his arms and whisked her back into their bedroom.  "Allow me to prove to you just how much I love you."

            Laying her on the bed, her brushed her unbound hair –and the beads encircling his hand caught in her hair.  Sango winced as he worked his hand free.  Miroku stared at the hand, and gently closed it.  Before he could decide what to with his life, he wanted to find a way to mend his hand first.  He wanted to be able told her without worrying the beads would press her tender flesh, to feel her skin on the palm of her hand.

            It was a problem that Sango could not help her Miroku with.  She took his protected hand and kissed his palm, her brown eyes understanding.  "Whether you find a way to heal your hand, Miroku, is also up to you, and only up to you.  Nothing you can do will change how I feel about you.  And you will always be whole to me."

            Miroku's breathing turned into a hiss as she slowly leaned up and let her lips brush hers in the sweetest of kisses anyone had given him.  Nobody had an affect like him as his fiancée did.  Oh, he did so love her!

            "As I said, you are the source of all my hopes, my Lady Sango…."

~*~

            As Sango and Miroku were learning this same truth, so were Kagome and Inuyasha.  The lonely house encircled by the forest that Inuyasha called his lands was now warm and comforting.  The scent of Kagome's baking was familiar… actually, Inuyasha was the one who worked in the kitchen.  Kagome was much more accustomed to growing plants, lovingly checking the fields each day to see if they needed fresh water, working the soil so it didn't dry out, adding manure.  Kagome even went to the extreme of checking the plants themselves for brown spots, and healed them with her magic.

            Things were very happy for them, and unlike Miroku and Sango, they did not have a pendulum hanging over their heads: they were simply happy.  Inuyasha, in the six months since they had become engaged, had added an extension on to the house so that Kagome had a bedroom all her own.  He said it would not be proper for them to share a bed until they were properly married.

            Really, just like a real prince!

            Okay, Kagome didn't like his job much because he often left her to tend to the world, and she worried about him with her not there to watch his back.  Often, when this thought crossed her mind, she thought of the battle with Hiten and shivered.  She wanted herself and Inuyasha to be a team!  And she supposed they were a team:  he always cared for her and made sure she wanted for nothing, and Kagome in turn did what he had neither the skill nor the time to do: care for his lands.  No, Kagome did not tend to the house as she did to the land.  In no time at all her skin had tanned from the sun, her cheeks were pink from happiness, her hands callused by the shovel and the spade.

            Just like Inuyasha's were from his sword.

            Either way, when he returned, it more than made up for his time away.  The trees whispered to her that Inuyasha returned, and she ran to meet him, but -oh!- he was so much faster than she was and he always got to her first!  His arms would wrap around her and he would spin around so fast she got dizzy.  Somehow his lips would find hers, and she would shake with delight as their spiral ended, allowing them to cling to each other desperately, kissing each other fiercely and tell them silently that all was well.

            Sitting at the table by herself, she sighed, wishing he was back.  The trees whispered, and she leapt up.  He was coming back!  She burst from the house and ran, meeting him in the dark forest that did not scare her in the slightest.  His laughter filled her ears, and he rained kisses on her cheeks.

            When they stopped, she took his hand.  "Come and see the flowers!  They've grown so much!" she smiled up at him.  "The fledglings have hatched, and soon the strawberries will be ripe."

            Inuyasha shook his head, and scooped her up in his arms.  "The plants will still be there tomorrow.  But I will only be here for one night.  I'm just passing through, Kagome.  I have to go to the human land.  I can stop by your farm as well.  Would you like me to pass on a message to your family?"

            Melancholy, she sighed.  Now more than ever she wanted to go with Inuyasha!  She hadn't seen her family since the winter.  But once the land went to sleep, she could visit them again.  Was this what her life was to be all the time?  She did not mind the hard work, but she longed for the companionship only a future husband and her family could give her.

            Carrying her into the house, she reached behind them and shut the door.  She leaned up and bit his ear –those wonderful, fluffy ears!- playfully.  "Tell them that I am happy, and that I will send them some of our berries.  But don't tell them that when you come home, you leave me immediately, or they'll know how lonely I am!  And I am lonely, Inuyasha, when you aren't here with me."

            The next morning, they walked hand in hand through the garden, and Inuyasha was amazed at her talents.  He kissed her softly, a hint of longing on his lips as he let his hand fall from hers.  "I'm sorry to have to leave you like this," he told her again.

            Kagome sighed.  "It's the price of loving a prince," she told him softly.  "Your heart may be mine, but your sword arm must defend your people, your senses watch for danger, your lips threaten away intruders, your feet take you were you are ordered to go…."

            "No," he corrected her, kissing her again and taking her into his arms.  "I'm all yours, Kagome.  My sword defends you, my mind thinks of you constantly, my heart is yours, I carry your love with me wherever I go, and as for my lips…"  The thought was cut off as his mouth covered hers, and all too soon he bitterly drew away.

            Turning and walking away, he paused where the wild forest met her tamed forest.  Inuyasha was much like the lands she had tamed: still so wild and so gentle at the same time.  His ears pulled back in sadness, and he waved goodbye to her, unable to bear parting with her again.  "I'll come back to you before the fledglings fly," he promised her. 

            "I know."

            She watched, the wind blowing by her as she left, and the trees whispered of hope to her dry face.  She knew that he would come back to her.  He always did.

            Animals slowly emerged, and a cat demon named Kirara that had become attached to Kagome, wound around her feet.  _You don't have to be so lonely, Priestess,_ the cat pointed out.  _You have us animals and plants to talk to.  We can keep you company until he returns to you.  We all know how much you miss him.  It is the intense joy you feel when you see him that keeps the leaves so bright here, and the fruit so healthy.  For that one moment outshines all the sadness in your heart, Priestess._

            Kagome picked Kirara up, and scratched her ears.  Oh, how those ears reminded her and Inuyasha!  The cat purred loudly.  "I know you will try to keep my company, but that still won't make up for the lack of his smell in the house, or the feel of his arms holding me as fall asleep.  There are many types of companionship, and I have friends enough in all of you wonderful creatures, and I love you all, but it's different with Inuyasha."

            Inuyasha traveled only for half a day.  Unburdened by carrying Kagome and still fleet footed by spending the night with her, he covered ground as quickly as the wind.  His stomach rumbled, and he knew it was time to stop.  He looked around.  Wasn't this near the place where that town was?

            Sure enough, the town lay in front of him.  He headed straight to the inn, and took a seat in the back, looking at the menu.

            Yura was on duty.  She was always on duty: she owned the restaurant!  Acting as normal, she took his order, and made it.  She knew who he was the moment his stench had polluted her diner.  Yes, he was the prince, but he was also the man who had killed her beloved Hiten.

            She pulled a glass vial out of the back of the restaurant.  Ah, yes!  Now the liquid boiled bright and blue, a lonely shade, to say the least, but when she added it to his drink of mild wine, it but fizzed and hissed a second.  And then it was as still.

            As still as he would be, soon enough!

            She gave the glass to Inuyasha; he stared at the window like a man loss.  All the better for her potion to act!  Tasteless and odorless, even to the sharp senses of a demon, it clung to the five senses, and to the very mind and heart!  It wove a web of dreams of bliss, and the sleeper would never want to awaken from such dreams!

            Indeed, the plan was crafty, but how unfitting a woman scorned, a woman who did not wane in her love even after Hiten's beheading, and was now left with only a bitter shell, despite her porcelain exterior!   But the spell was not simple or kind as this!  It took the time of pleasured dreams to sink deeper into the body, spreading its poison until nothing could break it.  Once attached, it grew, and boiled and bubbled inside the poison.  Inuyasha would feel not a drop of pain as his heart destroyed himself from the inside out, but his dreams would disturb him.  Like one's first love, they were inviting and sweet at first, but by the time the poison was about to kill him, it would be no less than agony to him as he watched all his nightmares be fulfilled!

            Such was her plan, and he drank from the cup, oblivious to the draught it held, such would it be.

~*~

            Sango was supposed to have met with Inuyasha two days ago.  But he was late.  Inuyasha was never late!  Worried, she wrote a letter to Kagome.  It sounded carefree and friendly, but Kagome would know that she was really asking where Inuyasha was.  Should anybody intercept it, they would not know the secrets in contained.

            But she still did not give up hope of waiting for Inuyasha to show up, and immediately wrote up a letter to explain that it was all a misunderstanding and that Inuyasha was safe and sound.

            Sadly, Sango would never get to mail said letter.

~*~

            Walking through the city, Miroku was deep in thought.  So deep in thought he was that he didn't notice the old lady until he had walked into her.  Apologizing profusely, he helped her pick up her apples that she had spilt.  "I'm sorry, madam.  I was… reflecting on my life.  Unfortunately, reflecting only helps you look backwards, not forwards."

            "Then perhaps you shouldn't do it when you're walking!" she pointed out in a toothless cackle.  "If you need help, I have this monkey's paw….."

            "No, thank you," Miroku said, standing up.  "I must be continuing on my way.  I have errands to run and places to bless… some to curse!"

            She sighed heavily and brushed by him.  "Well, if you don't want to get rid of that hole in your hand, I suppose that I can find somebody else…."

            Suddenly he was in front of her again, kneeling down on one knee and taking her wrinkled hand in his.  Miroku closed his eyes in silent respect.  "I beseech that you forgive me for my ignorance!  Please, forgive me, Grandmother.  If you have any knowledge at all of how to get rid of this mistake, share it with me!  Please, Grandmother."

            The old woman cackled loudly again.  "I know of a way to give you what it is you wish, but it comes with a high cost."  She saw he looked confused and she smacked him.  "The monkey's paw does nothing, you idiot!  What?  Were you thinking that you could replace this wrinkled paw with your hand or something, boy?  Don't make me laugh!  No, really, don't make me laugh.  It hurts my lungs.

            "I do not have the power to take off the mistake you made, monk, but I know who does.  She will like a strong man like you.  She does so like her men!  But I warn you again, child, her price is steep!"

            Miroku shook his head.  "If it means that I can hold my wife in my hands, then I don't care how steep the cost his.  Who is she?  Where can I find her?"

            The old woman told him where to find the Sorceress who could change Miroku into the man he was before the accident that had taken part of his hand from him.  He left her with a smile on his face and hope in his heart.  He could finally have some kind of clue as to how to rid himself of the glove!  Although his wound would not kill him, he longed to hold Sango the way a woman liked her deserved to be held.  He glanced over his shoulder to wave at the kind woman, but she was gone.  Where had she gone?

            Back in her cavern-like home, the lady Miroku had run into laughed.  It was no longer a cackle.  Likewise, she was no longer old, youthful.  Yes, many things had changed about the "woman" he had run into! The trap had been set, and the prey was walking right into it!


	2. The Beast in the Tower

**Disclaimer:**  As I forgot to mention in the first chapter: I don't own Inuyasha, or fairy tales.  If you want to believe that I am one of the Brothers Grimm, and that I am actually sitting here writing Inuyasha fan fiction when I could be solving everybody's problem and making him and Kagome finally get together and relieve their sexual tension, then you are very delusional.

**AN:  **First off, as I sit here listening to Disney music, I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Happy Hannukah, Happy New Year, and Merry Yule!  I hope I didn't miss anything! ^_^  This is the last update for 2003.  I have to go home for Christmas break, and I have no internet there.  But as soon as I come back, updates, man!!  Updates!!

Kiyoushi: Please…. Don't kill me…..

New Moon Night:  Thank you! Wait until you see what else I have planned!  (Okay, so I haven't really planned anything past Kanna…. But that's what Christmas candy is for!)

Lilemmy:  I am going to blow the roof off the old one.  I just have to come up with a new way to get some fluff in here….

Lily: I will update soon again after the new year! I promise!  (As in when I come back on Jan 5)

Mybyrdy:  I feel the same way about your stories.  I better have a lot of chapters to review when I get back!  I mean….. *coughs and whispers*  Update soon!

Kouga's Mate: Me?  Kill anyone?  How…. Right.  I killed Hiten and Manten….  How can I kill off Inuyasha and my sexy lecher? ^_^  Which there is a lot of in this chapter…

Enjoy!

Oh yeah, and special thanks to Kiyoushi, who helped me study for my exam.  Guess what the essay question was on? *giggle*  I (Hopefully!!) kicked some major ass on that mid term, given that the French Revolution was all I studied!!

Chapter Two: The Beast in the Tower

            _I'm coming._

            Sometimes those two words –three if you choose to count the contraction as two- can hold so much weight.  Inuyasha had told her to them before he left, vowing to return before the birds flew.  Now a letter from Sango held only that short sentence, leaving Kagome even more worried and frustrated.  What had happened to her prince that Sir Sango of the Imperial Guard would need to worry herself with coming to help Kagome?

            Or was the situation hopeless, and Sango was coming to comfort her?

            'Oh well,' Kagome sighed, looking around for something to do.  Unfortunately, she seemed to do have already done everything.  Her gaze fell on the spinning wheel, that wonderful invention that she had always hated with a passion.  Give Kagome plants, give her fresh air and animals; give her even biting bugs and a burning sun and she would be perfectly content!  But oh, she hated to spin!

            Taking her purse, she locked up the house.  Kirara jumped up on her shoulders, wanting to accompany the Priestess who often told her that she was the best mouser Kagome had ever met.  With high praise like that, who wouldn't want to accompany Kagome?  "I'll go and by some raw wool," she told the cat demon.  "And then I'll have a lot to occupy my time.  I have to cart the wool, and spin it, and then I can weave Inuyasha something nice, although I haven't the foggiest as to what I shall make for him."

            Besides, how else was Kagome to get there if it wasn't for Kirara?

            She had been to the town many times before.  Everyone knew her face by heart and treated her with kindness and respect.  After knowing such nice people, Kagome was starting to find it hard to imagine how she ever could have been scared of such demons!  The stories about ones who ate human flesh or fed off the waste of war were indeed correct, but they were the minority: a very small minority!

            Most demons were like most humans: normal.  They were both good and bad, and had as much a range of emotions as humans did, she had quickly learned, it was simply considered bad forms for demons to show them, hence the mass of stoic faces.  But nobody commented on her own smiling face.  Kagome speculated that deep down, her pretty smile was the real reason why people liked to see her so much.  A smile could turn anybody's day right side up again, particularly when a real smile was so rarely seen!

            "Hello, Shi," she said, favoring the woman in the yarn shop with that pretty grin.  She knew the demon well.  "How is your baby doing?"

            "Fine, thank you, Princess," the shop owner politely replied.  For a brief instant, there was the hint of a smile in the bright purple eyes of demon, but her red hair soon covered them as she bowed politely.  "I'm not sure if we could have done it without those herbs you suggested.   And still, you took nothing for it.  If word of that ever got out, Princess, my family would be ashamed."

            "Helping you was more than reward enough, Shi," she said politely.  "Have you any raw wool?  I want to make something for Inuyasha, although I haven't yet decided what.  And have you any ideas?  He only wears fire rat armor, and I'm perfectly horrible at weaving, so I don't want to make anything too complicated."

            The violet haired demon smiled.  "Why don't you weave him a blanket?  Oh, not just any blanket, I mean, but one for your marriage.  Here."  She handed Kagome a small bow of raw wool.  "It doesn't look like much now, Princess, but if you spin it as you think of him, and weave it thinking of your love, and include a drop of your own blood now and then before the last stitch is sewn, and it will turn into something beautiful.  It will be stronger than his armor ever could, Princess, and legend says that it will bind two people together."

            Her face softened in a motherly manner, about the only expression a female demon could show.  Though emotionless on the outside, demon mothers were some of the fiercest and post protective creatures on the planet; as any loving mother should be.  "I don't know how you can do it, Princess," she admitted.  "It's plain to everyone how much you love Lord Inuyasha, and yet you do not seem the slightest bit sad at the eventual outcome of your life together."

            "I…  Whatever do you mean?" she inquired, her interest caught.

            Shi gasped softly, and leaned on the counter.  "Oh, poor little Princess, you don't know?  Lord Inuyasha may be a Halfling, but he's still half demon.  Demons live longer than humans.  You're only seventeen, Lord Inuyasha may look only a year or two older than you, but already he's much older than that.  Before long, you will start to look older, but he will still be in his prime."

            Kagome felt like acting very much like a real Princess would after having said information: fainting.  Instead, she reflected on this.  Why hadn't somebody told her earlier? What would happen to the treaty if she passed away before Inuyasha?  Why hadn't he told her?  She would kind of figure it out eventually, once she surpassed him in aging! Is there no way for a human to slow down this process?  She asked Shi that same hopeful question.

            But the demon shook her head no.  "If there is, I know it not, Princess."  She passed the wool to Kagome.  "Make a blanket for your wedding bed out of love, Princess.  Perhaps it may help.  Please, it's a gift."

            Etiquette dictated she take the gift, and Kagome quickly returned home, once again thanks to Kirara.  She began to spin the wool immediately, banishing all the worry from heart before doing so.  She wanted the cloth to be one of happiness and hope, not of worry.  The raw wool was unmentionable in texture or color, but as she sat down at the wheel and thought about Inuyasha -about his soft kisses and how his ears pulled back when he was sad, about the contrast between his white hair and his black brows, and especially about how she thought of him and a great voice swelled in her heart, until she feared she would burst from trying to contain it- the raw wool changed.  Drawn between her fingers, life seemed to flare into it, and it turned as soft and silver as Inuyasha's hair.

            Shi had given her a truly remarkable gift!

            By some odd coincidence, she had just finished spinning all the wool and was about to start weaving when someone knocked on the door.  She opened it to find a worried Sango on her doorstep.  Kagome was disheartened.  "He still hasn't come back, has he?"  When Sango shook her head, her heart sunk slightly lower, and she let her friend enter their small cottage.

            Kagome had been so busy sewing that she had not had time to go about baking anything.  She worked the fields in the early morning and late evening when it was the coolest, and during the noon time she stayed indoors, working at the wheel.  She apologized that she didn't have any sweets for her friend, and offered her the first of the wild berries.

            Sango shook her head.  She didn't want food.  Frowning, she tapped her hand on the wooden table and then jumped up again.  "He's been missing for over a week!  I'm going to have to tell Sesshomaru.  We'll have to start looking at him.  If this was his own mission, I might not worry about it so much, but this was supposed to be a partnership!  Had the mission been cancelled, I know I would have received word."

            About to calm Sango down, there was a second knock.  Both females paused.  Kagome was puzzled, and Sango was too, catching Kagome's confusion.  Nobody came and visited her! She was the only house in the middle of nowhere!  While Sango had been expected, this new visitor wasn't.

            "Kagome?" a nervous, childish voice asked, though muffled through the wood.  

            Both girls let out captured breaths.  Sango had much respect for Kagome after seeing how she lived.  Sango, as much as she liked quiet time to think, was used to the bustle of people, and this much quiet would really freak her out after awhile.  Her brown eyes filled with hope and she leaned over Kagome as the shorter girl opened the door.  "Miroku?"

            It was only Shippo.  Miroku was not with him.

            "Kagome!"  The little demon laughed and threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her neck and giving her a childish kiss on the cheek.  His tail wavered erratically.  "I missed you so much!  And Sango too!"  Without pause for thought, he jumped from Kagome's shoulder to Sango's.  He hugged Sango tightly, and then stared at her.  "Where's Miroku?"

            Her skin was suddenly ice cold.  "What do you mean, 'where's Miroku'?  He should be with you, off doing things no self-respecting monk should do! Stealing!"

            The kitsune nodded.  "I know he should be, but he isn't. We knew that he was planning on going home to visit you before you went off fighting again –congratulations on the promotion!- but he hasn't come back yet.  I was hoping that Kagome knew where he disappeared too, but I never thought you'd be here too!"

            Sango's skin, if possible, went even colder at the word 'disappeared.' Kagome gasped and covered her mouth.  "Not both of them!"

            Their shared worry was short lived, and the two females went straight to action.  Kagome packed food and medicine, as well as clothes.  Sango took care of weapons and camping supplies.  Shippo watched them, moving as only two women like a knight and a Priestess could move.  In less than forty minutes they had all their equipment ready.  To Shippo, it had seemed like the two women shared a brain for that time, moving silently and never getting into each other's way.

            "What's going on?" he asked Sango as Kagome went to find Kirara and talk to the animals of the land.

            Her face was grim as she answered him.  "Inuyasha and Miroku are both missing.  It's a rescue mission."

~*~

            Miroku did not think about Shippo or Sango as he approached the house in the forest.  Unlike the forest that sheltered Kagome's house, which were thick and dark with age and life, these woods were new, and bright.

            And evil.

            But he told himself that it was not proper to judge things based upon their initial looks.  Take Sango, for instance:  she looks like a graceful dancer when she moves, as if she were made of air, but deep down she is made of fire and steel.  So he moved deeper into the frightening woods, until at last he reached the tower the old woman had told him about.  He knocked on the door, and stood patiently, leaning on his staff.

            The door opened, and Miroku thought he had died and gone to heaven.  His fiancée was beautiful, but even Sango would dull appear next to such a creature!  Her hair flowed down to her delicate ankles, and was as sunshine.  Her eyes were wide and blue, as gentle and open as the sky.  She had enough curves so as to make a man's mind go numb, which Miroku's promptly did.

            "Good evening, sir.  Might I help you?"

            Hardly believing that this was the creature who could exact a price so high Miroku could not fill it, he nodded, and held out his right hand.  What he meant to say was 'I was told you knew how to fix this whole,' and then promptly explain what had happened to him, as embarrassing as it was.  However, what came out was:

            "Please… bear my children!"

            To his surprise, the vixen laughed, her sunny hair shaking around her willowy form.  "I have never met a monk so amusing as you.  Please, come in."

            He did so, thinking this laughing woman harmless.  The tower's first floor was quaint, and warm.  There was a crackling hearth, cookies baking, and the windows were open to the air, letting butterflies float at the herbs growing in the sill.  It was picturesque, and eased his conscience further.  If the butterflies liked to visit her, he knew it was not an evil place to be.  The whole room seemed to be washed in gold, warming his mind.

            "Would you care for something to eat, sire?" she asked, stirring the cauldron over hanging the fire.

            Miroku watched her, but his eyes were not on the pot.  Some part of his heart screamed at him to avert his eyes, reminding him of Sango, but he found he could not.  The prickles of worry singed his mind, but he saw the butterflies, and again the last of his worries were pushed away. "No thank you, madam, I have just eaten."  Well, at least he had managed to get that sentence out properly!  "There is something you can do for me, madam.  You see, long ago now, I…"

            "I have been watching you for some time, monk," she cut him off, and smiled at him over her slender shoulder.  "May I call you by name?"  He nodded and her smile grew, her blue eyes pleased.  "Well, Miroku, I have been watching you for some time.  I know how you came to possess the wind tunnel.  Why you were practicing with magic that strong at such a young age, I can only guess.  I suppose Sango had something to do with it.  We both know she could kick your ass any day."

            Miroku gave her a wavering smile.  "That's probably true," he admitted, and thought about it.  Really, the odds were pretty even against them, if they ever got into a real fight.  Neither of them could actually strike at each other.  As a woman her hand to hand combat skills were superior to his since she had the hips to make the throws easier, as a knight her sword was unquestionably better, but he had the powers of magic to help him, and he always fought with his staff.  And then, of course, he wouldn't hesitate to grope her in the midst of battle.  Really, it seemed like an even match to him.

            The fact that she had been watching him did not bother Miroku a bit. While a part of him wondered just what 'watch' meant and what parts of his life she had been watching, he was not bothered by the idea.  This woman was a sorceress, otherwise how else would she have the knowledge to heal his hand?  "Then can you really heal my hand?"

She nodded.  "I can indeed, Miroku.  I can make it as good as new.  But you must surely know that I have a cost."

"I have been told that," he admitted.  "But depending on the cost, I will gladly pay.  I want to be able to hold my fiancée.  I do not wish to worry about holding her and hurting her."

"Understandable.  Nobody ever wants to hurt the one they love."  She sat down in a chair and began to cross stitch.  Her blue eyes peered up at him through her golden hair, cold and passionate at the same time.  "Your hand will be difficult to mend.  It is your bane to bear for your pride, Miroku.  Therefore the price will be high, but I believe you will find it fair."

She smiled at him sweetly.  "I shall give you back your hand, so I shall have yours in return."

The answer was slightly more cryptic than what Miroku had expected.  He rose an eyebrow, sitting down opposite her, watching her hands flow as she stitched.  'Sango wouldn't be able to stitch.  Sango's not this feminine as this….'  He didn't seem to realize he was having these thoughts as his grey eyes drank in the golden haired woman.  "Want my hand how?"

"For whatever I need it for," the woman sang.  She had such a musical voice!  Sango's voice wasn't musical.  "For mending, for spells… to do the things around the house that I, a poor woman, cannot do."

Miroku considered this for a moment, and then agreed, shaking hands on it with her.  "You have a deal!"

In a flash of light, his hand was healed.  Miroku stared at it, hardly able to believe his hand was healed.  He smiled at the kind sorceress, and the smile she gave back was a hungry one.  "You are once again whole.  And now your hand is mine."

Miroku was barely listening, as he tried to pull the glove off.  Oh, the glove came off easily enough, but not the ring anchoring it, the ring around his middle finger.  It seemed to be stuck.

The sorceress pouted.  "Why are you trying to take off your ring?  Didn't I tell you?  Your hand is mine, Miroku.  My own little Miroku, a sexy monk of my very own!"  She giggled like a child and slid into his lap.  Miroku's expression was somewhere between horrified and wanting to take her then and there.  Sango didn't have quite so many curves as this!  Her fingers traced his face, and her voice was a husky purr.  "You see, what I really need, is a man to help me bear my children.  You said I could have your hand for whatever I needed, and what I need is husband…."

"Well, but….."

She pouted.  "Are you trying to worm out of our deal?  I can reopen to tunnel whenever I want, my darling husband, and I can take everyone you care about with it.  Like your fiancée.  You'll never see her again.  Why not at least live out the rest of your days here with me, in the lap of luxury?"

His eyes narrowed.  As tempting as this creature was, she was not Sango!  He didn't need sky blue eyes; he loved brown ones that looked up at him with love and friendship that was even older than they were.  He didn't want soft curves; he wanted the grace and muscle of a fighter.  He wanted his Sango!

"I will try and escape, you realize that, correct?"

She pursed her lips and clapped her fingers.  Instantly, he found himself in the upper most room of the tower.  There was only one window, and a door that led to the latrine.  There was no way out.   She laughed, and kissed his cheek.  "Go ahead and try to escape, my little monk.  I will win eventually.  I have patience, and you are young still, and you shall help me bear strong children.  But I will treat you with all the respect deserving a prince.  Anything you want can be yours, all you have to do is ask."

He pushed her off of him, finally realizing her for the demon she was.  "I want my freedom.  I want my fiancée."

The sorceress shook her head, and her hair was like pyrite.  "I cannot give you that.  But I can still give you your wife." She waved her hand and a mirror appeared on the wall.  "This mirror can show you anything you want to in the world, and will only show the truth.  Perhaps after you see your fiancée give up hope of having you return to her bed and she takes another lover, you will understand that you will be better here.  You will never have to work, I can help your powers grow, and we will have all the children you want."

Miroku shook his head.  Sango would never give up hope on him like that!  And he didn't want any children, unless they were with Sango.  His grey eyes were even colder than the blue ones of the sorceress.  "This is your last chance to let me go, sorceress, otherwise you will not live through my imprisonment."

She only laughed, and then disappeared.  Miroku was alone, with his hand healed, and the only item he had at his disposal was what was in the room, and a twenty foot drop to the ground below.

~*~

            "How are you going to track them down?"

            Shippo's question stopped Sango and Kagome as they were about to walk out of the door.  They both looked at each other, then at Shippo, an odd expression in their eyes.

            "Out of curiosity, Shippo, how good are your senses?"

            "Can you smell Inuyasha's trail, even though it's eight days old?"

            "If I brought you to Miroku's house, could you pick up on it?"

            The little demon sweat dropped.  "My senses aren't that strong!"  When he opened his eyes, he saw that the girls were already walking away.  He ran after them, tail waving back and forth.  "Hey!  Wait for me!  I'm coming too!  You might encounter bandits or something along the way, and then who would scare them away?"  He jumped up and clung to Kagome's shoulder.  "So, where are we going to?"

            Kagome smiled at him.  "We're going to go see the oracle."

            "The oracle?  Are we going to walk the whole way there?"

            Kirara bounded up to meet them, and both women smiled.  "Of course not.  We have our own personal magic carpet to take us around."

~*~

AN:  Just to clarify: yes.  Miroku did just get captured by Rapunzel.  Mwa! How's that for a switch of things?! ^_^V


	3. The Candied House

AN:  Whoo!  I'm back!  I will try and update whenever possible, but the thing is: it will be slow until I'm back on track with school.  I was able to do it last time because I had all my essays finished, mid terms were going good (yeah for studying online), but now I have midterms again (what the hell is with having three mid terms in geology class? And it's three weeks to boot! So not cool!!) and two essays coming up, as well my readings t start working ahead in before I can relax enough to post at regular intervals.  *deep breath*

And let's try this again. I found the myths here: www.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html

I can't believe how many people were upset that Inuyasha wasn't in this chapter!  Um… I don't think he's in this one either.  -_- Sorry.

Lily:  I'm never one for easy scenarios.

Lilemmie: I thought that Rapunzel was one of my grater twists.  I hope you find her as amusing in the chapter!  Like I said: crazy, whacked out fairy tales, man!  I don't know if we'll run into any more whacked out fairy tale creatures.

Squeakyinuears: I can understand how you want him to suffer.  I think I put him through more than enough, by the time he gets saved.  I have to work on the blanket more… and the age issue… and, well, I am so screwed.  All I know what's going to happen is after Miroku gets save. (How is still in a problem, so if anybody has any ideas, let me know!)

Ryngrl: you'll know where Inuyasha is when I figure it out myself. -_-;

Mybyrdy:  Three fairy godmothers?  You know, that's actually pretty tempting.  I'll have to think about that one.  After all, they were in the Grimm version of Cinderella… one of them, anyway.  And I will check out your new fic as soon as I finish doing my homework for tomorrow.  10 more pages to read... only 10 more pages….  *starts chanting*  Oh, and I do love that pic.  It's so cute!  I could've peed myself laughing when my friend Toth-youkai used that as the picture for the cover of the Inuyasha CD she burned for me for a Christmas gift.  I have listened to it once a week since I got it. ^_^

On with the fic!

Chapter Three: The Candied House

            Kirara set down by the edge of a dark woods, so ancient that the trees were like giants, the animals immortal, and the air was thick with magic.  Kagome could already see fairies and tree sprites drifting too and fro, their feet never touching the dirt path ahead of them, or the air above it.  Kirara let them off, and then changed into her smaller form, leaping to Sango's shoulder, as Kagome was carrying Shippo.

            The knight looked at the forest, and fearlessly started forward.  The woods held the home of the oracle, and sadly, many other creatures that would harm them.  Sango had been here only once before, but she recalled the stories well.  "Don't leave the path.  It leads directly to the oracle, and is safe from any evil spirits.  We can only approach by foot."

            Nodding, Kagome followed after them, shivering as she entered.  There was power in the woods, strong and old magic.  "I have a bad feeling about this…"

            "Don't you know you aren't supposed to say that?" Shippo asked.

            "Come on, what could possibly go wrong? We just don't leave the path."

            "Ah!" he screamed.  "You aren't supposed to say that, either!  Don't you two know anything at all?  You never say anything like that!  There are stories about these woods… adults tell the stories to their children to keep them far away from here."

            Kagome looked at Sango, almost childishly.  "Stories?  Do you know any of them, Shippo?"  She felt the little demon shake his head.  "What about you, Sango?"  The knight nodded and Kagome's brown eyes widened further.  "Can you tell me one? Please?  To pass the time?"

            Thinking about a suitable one only briefly, Sango soon started.  "Once upon a time there was a young girl who had been given a wonderful red cap by her grandmother.  She wore the cap so much that she came to be known as Little Red Cap.  One day, she had to walk from the far side of the forest to her grandmother's house, which was on the side of the forest that we came from.  Her mother warned her not to go off the path, and she gave the little girl a basket, and Little Red Cap was off on her way.

            "She walked very far, and eventually she came across a man chopping wood by the side of the path.  He smiled at her, and asked her where she was going. 'I am going to visit my grandmother,' Little Red Cap replied.  The woodsman asked her how she was getting there, and she said that she was following the path, and then her grandmother's house was to the left of the woods surrounded by the hazel and cedar.  And Little Red Cap continued on her way.

            "However, the woodsman was not a woodsman, but a demon in disguise.  He took off through the woods, and nothing could disturb him, so he got to the house first.  Breaking into the cabin, he ate up the poor grandmother, although she put up a terrible fight.  Finally Little Red Cap, who had followed the path the whole way, arrived.  She knocked on the door, and the wolf demon, dressed as her grandmother, told her to come in.

            "'Grandmother!  What big ears you have!' said Little Red Cap.  The wolf told her it was all the better to hear her with.  'Grandmother!  What big hands you have!'  The wolf replied they were all the better to hold her with.  'Grandmother, what big eyes you have!'  The wolf told her they were all the better to see her with.  'Grandmother!  What big teeth you have!'"

            And here Sango sighed.  "There's some discrepancy about what happens next.  In the demon versions of the story, the wolf says that they are all the better to eat her with and then gobbled her up like he did the grandmother.  Little Red Cap shouldn't have been talking to strangers, and her death is the result.   Some human stories agree, but others say she runs away."

            "How does she run away?" Shippo inquired, having never heard the human ending of the tale, or this story itself.

            "She says she has to go use the latrine and runs away."  Sango laughed quietly as she wondered if that would work.  Perhaps she would try it with Miroku after she had him back.

            Kagome shook her head.  "That's silly. I mean, first of all, the whole story would imply Little Red Cap was a human, and…."

            Laughing, Sango absentmindedly stroked the demon cat on her shoulder.  "The point of the story isn't the finer details, it's the moral.  Don't talk to strangers.  But the stories are all based upon some type of truth."  She grimaced.  "It's sad that it's the worse stories of demons are immortalized, when there are so many good ones in the world."

            The little demon frowned.  "Sometimes the worst of humans are passed around in stories.  There was one my mother used to tell me.  About a monk…."  He stopped, and looked at Sango, wondering if he should tell the tale with her foolish husband off missing.  She smiled, however, and he continued.  "The monk's name was Mosaku and his apprentice was Minokichi.  They were traveling one day and it was nearing night when they came across a river.  The ferryman had left his boat on the other side of the river, and his hut was empty.  A terrible blizzard was coming in, and so they took shelter in the ferryman's hut, rather than risk death in the storm.

            "Minokichi fell asleep long after his master did, but he was awoken again when he felt snow land on his face.  He awoke in shock, and found a beautiful woman dressed in white standing over his master.  She breathed over Mosaku, and her breath was like white smoke.  Then she turned on Minokichi, who was terrified.  The ice queen told him she was going to do to him as she had done to the old monk, but decided to pass him by because of his youth and beauty.  She swore to kill him if he told anyone, and then she vanished.

            "He tried to wake his master, but his master was dead, frozen stiff.

            "The following year, Minokichi was passing by this same way when he met a beautiful girl by the name of Yuki, who was traveling to Yedo.  Minokichi was charmed by the young woman, and upon finding out she was not married, took her to his own house, and eventually married her.  She was a wonderful wife, loved by everyone, and gave Minokichi ten beautiful children.

            "One night, spending time with his wife as she sewed by the light of a paper lamp, Minokichi told her: 'You know, Yuki, you remind me of a woman I once saw.  But she killed my master with her ice-breath, and was some kind of spirit, yet just now you reminded me of her.'

            "There was a horrible smile on her face as she looked at him, crying: 'You wretch!  You promised never to tell!  Yes, it was I, Yuki-Onna, who killed your master that night!  If not for our sleeping children, I would kill you now!  But should you ever hurt them, I shall hear of it, and on a night when the snow is falling, I _will kill you!'  And with that, she stormed out of the house as a blast of ice-mist, never to return again."_

              Kagome sighed, touched by the story.  "That's so sad.  He could have been happy with her, if he had just kept his promise and not told her about what happened when he was eighteen."

            Her female companion's smile was sad.  "I bet Miroku would like that one.  He'd get all insulted that the monk was the one that screwed up, probably.  He can be so prideful sometimes."  She paused, pursing her lips and watching the spirits drift playfully from tree to tree.  "Miroku just doesn't show it as much as Inuyasha does."  Thinking she might have said something rude, she glanced at Kagome, and found her giggling.

            "Don't worry, Sango.  I'm fully aware of Inuyasha's faults.  And as annoying as his pride can be sometimes, I have to admire him for it."  She giggled again.  "That, and it's always fun to prove to him that pride isn't everything.  Really, he's not that bad, you just have to be patient for him.  But I grew up on a farmstead, and I'm a Priestess.  I have a lot of patience, nowadays.  It's just like waiting for the flowers to bloom.  Bit by bit, they will, and they do."

            Sango nodded understandingly.  Kagome meant that she got to hit Inuyasha when he was being prideful, and then she got to make up for it.  Make up kisses were some of the best ones in the world, as Sango often knew, having had received many of them from Miroku.  Damn that monk's wandering hands…. Oh, she missed those wandering hands!

            The demon sitting on Kagome's shoulder caught a scent of something interesting.  He sniffed again.  'I smell sugar.'  His mouth began to water.  'I smell gumdrops and lollipop. And… and… gingerbread!'  The little demon was all but drooling.  He had been warned not to go off the path, but the smell of gingerbread was so tempting…..

            'I'm a demon too!' he pointed out to himself, his childish mind following a rather rash pattern of thinking.  If the wolf demon could safely run through the forest, then why not a fox demon?  Why couldn't he make it all the way to the sugar and back to the safe path and the girls without risk or injury?

            His thoughts settled upon that last one, and he made up his mind.  He could do it: he was a full demon after all, albeit a young one!  He could make it, if he tried hard enough!  He leapt off Kagome's shoulder, and heard his companions gasp in surprise, but he was too fast for either of them, disappearing into the brush.

            Kagome saw the tip of that cute tail disappear, and she automatically ran after him, either completely forgetting or completely careless of the warning to stay on the path.  Sango, in turn, sighed, her hand clasping her weapon, readying herself to draw it at a moment's notice.  She would not draw it yet, not yet that there was no need to draw it, as she did not want to provoke the trees into attacking by drawing metal in their sight.

            She didn't like this.  She didn't like it one little bit.

~*~

            The mirror was as good as his captive had promised.  Miroku had but to pick it up, and it showed him what he asked. He told the silver mirror to show him Sango, and there she was, listening to a story that he knew well, the story of the monk Minokichi, and thinking of him.  The knowledge that Sango was thinking about him gave the monk courage, and hope that his captive's words would not come to pass. Sango would not forget about him and find the love of someone else!  They were the perfect match for each other!  The monk and the knight; faith and fealty; and his favorite: pervert and Sango.  There was no other word for her, she was just Sango.

            "Isn't that place a bit dangerous for your precious lady knight?"  Miroku jumped off the bed in surprise, finding her leaning over him. He hadn't heard her arrive, or felt it either.  But how was he when she floated up like a ghost from the wooden floorboards below him?

            Giving him a gentle smile, she pushed him back down on the bed.  Given what this woman had told him about what he was supposed to be doing as her guest for all of eternity, the bed was the last place Miroku wanted to be!  As tempting as it was to feel those supple lips pressed against his…  "What's your hurry, Miroku?  You're not going anywhere.  Won't you even stay and talk with me?"

            "Talking, madam, is more than likely the furthest thing on your mind at this point."  His grey-violet eyes narrowed, looking almost black in frustration.  "I demand that you release me immediately.  This was not the type of agreement you made when I accepted your offer!"

            "Oh, yes it is!" she retorted quickly. "I said I wanted your hand, I simply neglected to point out that I want it in bed.  Well, technically, I wanted it in marriage.  After all, I want my children to have a father as they grow up." She smiled at him, and it was a lovely smile, but it turned into a sick one as she looked at the mirror again.  "As I said, is that not a dangerous place for your lady knight, Miroku?  There's magic older than some demons, even older then myself in the forest."

            This caught his interest.  "And how old would you be, Sorceress?"

            Her smile was radiant, showing her perfectly straight and white teeth.  The voluptuous image of the Sorceress changed, flowing to reveal or girl still blessed with freckles, a hair or two younger than Kagome, and no less or more developed than she.  She giggled, leaning into him, her hair still golden and her eyes still bright blue.  "I can be as old or as young as you want me to be.  Should you not prefer this shape, I can be one more pleasing."

            The hair that flowed like clouds over her form turned vibrant red.  "I can be anyone or anything you like.  Your bed will never grow old so long as I am here.  I can be strong, or compliant, as soft as flowers or as commanding as a general."

            Miroku's captive suddenly changed again. Her hair was shorter, pulled into a ponytail, and the curves she had were painfully familiar underneath the armor she now wore.  Her eyes were chocolate brown, but were hard, not sweet with love as his real lady's.  "I can even be anyone you love."

            Even the voice was the same!  Even the smell!  If those eyes were warmer, Miroku would not be able to tell the difference.  She was toying with his emotions now.  He pulled out an ofuda, finally ready to take some action, but she pressed her lips against his, and the paper dropped from his hand.  Well, it was foolish anyway.  He might be able to paralyze her with a spell, but that would not help him get down from the tower.

            Even tasted like Sango!  Miroku pushed her off him.  "Do not do that again!" he warned.

            She simply laughed, returning to the form she had first used, and seemed to prefer the most. "I shall leave you with your thoughts, then, Miroku.  You can have everything you've ever wanted in me, including Sango.  Don't make me angry.  I will bring you up something to eat in an hour or so."  The Sorceress vanished in a flash of light.

            Greatly disturbed by this new information, Miroku turned coldly back to the mirror, and noticed that Sango had left the path.  He forgot his own predicament as he was gripped with worry.  Sango should have known better than that! Stupid Shippo! 'Oh, Sango…..'

~*~

            Shippo ran and ran, relatively undisturbed by the spirits floating overhead.  The fairies asked him to dance with them, the pixies to play, as all the peaceful spirits were lonely and longing for a new playmate.  He followed the scent of sugar and spice and everything nice until he entered a clearing and found the object he had smelt: a house.

            The walls were made of gingerbread, the trimmings of white icing and the shingles made sprinkles.  There were gumdrops, and lollipops grew in the garden.  Cotton candy woven curtains hung in the windows, and licorice bordered the window panes.  Sugar coated cherry blossoms clung to the trees by the chocolate walkway to the door, and Shippo eagerly began to eat the first thing he saw: the candy cane wicket fence that enclosed the sugary structure.

            Kagome and Sango were just as undisturbed, and appeared too late to stop Shippo from sinking his teeth into the candy cane decorations.  The first immediately pulled the little demon away from the sweets, reprimanding him in a way that only a female can.  Sango stared at the house, and the grip on her sword tightened.  "What's a cottage like this doing in the middle of such an evil forest?"

            "Who cares!" Shippo cried with a pout.  "It's made out of candy!  Don't you want some, Sango?"

            Before the knight could answer, the door of the sugar shack burst open and an old woman came out.  Her hair was gray, her face long, and her eyes were far too wide. Without a doubt, she was a demon!  Kagome bowed in her direction.

            "Good afternoon, grandmother!  Please forgive our companion for chewing on your fence.  He didn't mean any harm, he just has a sweet tooth."  She smiled at her to show that she was being sincere, and held Shippo against her legs like a mother, ruffling his hair.  He merely continued to eye the house. 

            "It has been a long time since I had visitors," the woman said slowly, eyeing them.  She held open the door, smiling, the sweetness of the house starting to look sour.  "I can fix the fence anytime I want.  Don't worry so!  Please, come inside.  Let me give you some food.  You must have traveled far, two humans this far in demon territory.  Please, come and tell me your story…."

            Kirara mewed loudly.  Kagome and Sango both agreed with her.  This didn't feel right.  It smelled like a trap.  But to refuse would be rude, and so Kagome had nod.  She carried Shippo on her hip, and Kirara moved over to her shoulder.  Sango didn't take her hand off her sword.

            The house, from the inside, seemed like any normal house. The outside might have been made of candy, but the inside was plain old wood and stone.  She gestured to the table, and they sat around the pine piece of furniture.  The old woman moved to the simmering cauldron and stirred it, talking to them.  "Yes, so very long since I had visitors.  I was starting to think I would never have guests again.  My name is Urasue."

            "I'm Captain Sango, knight of the Human Realm, and this is Lord Shippo of the Northern Forest, and… what's your official title now, anyway, Kagome?"  Sango removed her hand from the hilt of the weapon to itch her nose, and both women were aware that Urasue's gaze never left the sword by Sango's side.

            Kagome's eyes narrowed.  'I should be able to sense any poison in the soup she's stirring.  Hopefully my powers can purify it out of it, if I can get my hands on the bowls!  I can't be too cautious.'  She set Shippo down on one of the chairs, and stood up to help Urasue.  "Here, Grandmother, let me help you with that."

            Taking over stirring the bowl for Urasue, Kagome felt like she was home again, and that Inuyasha would be in any second, filled with passion at the thought of seeing her again.  He'd sweep her into his arms, and his lips would press against hers and the soup would burn and neither of them would care, because once they were done saying hello to each other, Inuyasha would make a far better meal, and Kagome would watch him work, mystified that he had such talents.  But then, he had been living alone for a long time.  Theirs was an odd relationship, but it worked, and they were both satisfied, except that she wished she could see him more often.  Kagome was looking forward to winter time, when nothing grew, and she would go out on missions with him, as there was garden to take care of at home.

            Oh, she had a terrible headache!

            A tear almost ran down her cheek, and she dried it away, finally looking down and seeing what she was stirring.

            Human eyes.

            Kagome felt her stomach revolt, and she leaped away, spilling some of the eyes.  They rolled on the floor, and her stomach tried to revolt, but she was suddenly held in strong arms completely unlike the ones she had been dreaming about only a moment ago.

            'Urasue's a demon!'  The thought wasn't strange, as this was a demonic forest, after all, but she hadn't expected her to be cooking human eye balls!  Long ago demons had killed humans, but now it was murder, rather than some sort of archaic predator-prey situation.  She struggled against the witch, who either hadn't heard the proclamation about not being able to kill humans or who didn't care, and stopped when a blade pressed against her throat.

            Sango leapt up as soon as Kagome had dropped the ladle, and as quick as she was she was only able to half-draw her sword before the curved end of the knife settled against Kagome's neck.  Sango paled, and stood at odds with the witch, Sango looking scared, sitting between the two.

            Her brown eyes nodded.  "I suggest you let her, Urasue!  If my sword doesn't get you before you so much as hurt her, then your King, Sesshomaru, will."

            Urasue spat.  "I know no king!"  The knight's hand twitched, and the blade moved closer.  If Kagome so much as swallowed, the edge would cut her.  "Don't even think about it, knight!  You're the first to go!  Throw away your sword, and strip.  Throw your clothes into the fire."  Sango hesitated, staring at Kagome, who was frightened, but was gaining hold of the situation.  "Do it or watch your friend die!"

            Perhaps Kagome's bravery came from recklessness or friendship rather than from courage, but whatever the source was, she was coolheaded.  She had tried to physically fight off the witch, and her blows had done nothing, so now it was time to try something else.  Urasue was threatening her friends!  It was her or them!

            Grabbing the hand that held the weapon, Kagome summoned up that magic that she held close to her heart, that vibrated with each beat of the organ, and shoved it into Urasue's hand.  The witch screamed and dropped the sword, feeling her body being invaded by the foreign power, battling and winning against her own magic, as old and strong as it was.  She tried to push Kagome off her, but she continued to hang on to Uruasue's wrist, endlessly pushing more and more purifying magic into her.

            "A Priestess?  Impossible!  I would have known!  I would have known!"

            Soon, all that was left was a scream etched in the silent air, a pile of ash, and a crying Kagome.  She picked herself off the ground and picked up her sack and weapons again.  Swinging the bow over her shoulder, Kagome brushed by the astonished Sango, who had never seen magic used quite like that before!

            Kagome bent to pick up Shippo, but the little demon shied away from the offered hand.  When he said that he would ride with Sango for a little while, Kagome looked incredibly hurt, and she all but stomped out of the gingerbread house.  She glanced behind her at the house, and found that it was no longer made of candy, but it was a rotting, stinking mess of refuse and other wastes.  Shippo, looking at the skeleton lined fence, looked like he was about to be ill, but managed to recover when he saw that there were no Shippo-sized teeth marks in the fence.

            Kirara wound around Kagome's ankles, and allowed the priestess to pick her up.  Kagome smiled softly, petting the demon cat.  "At least everybody doesn't hate me," she mumbled to herself, feeling another pang of loss.

            Where was Inuyasha?

            She nodded to herself.  There was no time to feel sorry for herself for scaring her friends, for being a murderer, or for mourning the death of Urasue when some type of agreement might have been possible, given enough debate.  But Kagome was not going to try and reason with somebody when they were holding a knife to her throat!

            "Come on.  All we have to do is follow the path of stomped plants and broken twigs and we can find our way back to the enchanted path…."


	4. Three Demons Gruff

AN: What can I ay to explain my absence?  I hate studying geology!  And I hate essays, and even if I DO like Latin, the textbooks are incredibly boring!!  ….*sigh*  Thank God for fan fics… they keep my sanity in place.

Bloody moon devil: Exactly!  Inuyasha's there in spirit!

Mybyrdy:  I have been watching and taping it off of tv religiously.  It's edited, but not that badly.  I mean… they actually let him say 'bastard!'  I was so shocked…. It was so beautiful…. *sniffle*  And you don't need to apologize.  I like long reviews.  Besides, you're cute. ^_^

Ilvinnaeda:  Actually, now that I have seen more of the show, I have a tendency to agree with you.  But… he's not that bad as he seems, on the surface.  After all, he waited until Sango was healed before he started to grope her, so at least he has some sensibility.  Eh, Sango will make reference as to some of that nature later on…. ^_^  But don't forget: AU.  He's known Sango since he was 6, and so, they've spent quite a bit of time together. (Compared to the tv show, I mean.)  And your comment that Kagome seems "wifely"…. Lol If you ever want to get me going, pick on my female characters.  Don't forget, you haven't seen her with Miroku or Inuyasha, just with Sango and Shippo.  The feeling I got from the show, is that it's the males who get her riled up: Inuyasha, her grandfather, Miroku's perversion…. So once she stops being in her "girlfriend" mode, she can get that fire back. ^_^ 

Enjoy!

Chapter Four:  The Three Demons Gruff

            Stumbling as she fell back on the enchanted path, Sango caught her and looked her friend.  She clucked her tongue like a reprimanding mother.  "Kagome!  You already used your magic to purify Urasue.  You didn't have to heal every single twig and blade of grass on the way back to the path!  Now you're worn out."

            The other girl rubbed her head.  "It's no worse than when I helped Inuyasha fight before.  And healing is so much easier to do than erecting barriers or purifying because it's so much more natural.  I'm just a little light headed, that's all."  She tried to steady herself on her own but started falling again.  Sango let Kagome lean on her as they started back down the path.  "Besides, it had to be done.  I didn't want any of the dryads or anything thinking we meant to hurt them when we chased after Shippo."

            Looking at Kagome, he jumped off Sango, turning an abashed shade of red.  He kicked at the pebbles as she walked, shuffling along without his usual bounce or hyperactive sense. "Gee, I'm sorry, Kagome."

            Her smile was tired.  "It's all right, Shippo.  Everybody messes up sometimes, and no harm came of it.  Except for Urasue, but she was threatening to eat us all, and all those eyes…"  She shuddered at the thought, suppressing the rise of bile.  She leaned a bit heavier on Sango, feeling as ashamed as Shippo.  "Let me lean on you for a little while, as we walk.  Just for five, maybe ten minutes, then I can walk on my own."

            By the time that the temple of the oracle was visible, Kagome was walking under her own power, although she was till looking a little bit pale, underneath the tan she had from working in the garden.  The travelers sighed when they saw it, the object of their destination close at hand.

            The castle was shiny and black, as if made from some volcanic rock shot straight out hell.  Yet it looked inviting to the travelers. A moat surrounded the castling spire, and an open bridge lay at the end of the enchanted path.  The companions sighed out of relief, and hurried to the bridge, breaking into a run, seeing their salvation and hope ahead of them.

            Sango, as Kagome was still weakened from using up so much of her power, reached the bridge first.  The moment her foot touched the bridge, it shook, and an old man leapt out from underneath it.  Old and twisted, he was misshapen badly, but he still looked less terrifying that Urasue had.

            "Should ye answer me,

            These riddles three,

            Cross this bridge ye may,

            To better company."

            They glanced at each other.  Sango spoke up.  "Why should we answer your questions?  We could simply fight our way across.  After all, we don't know who you are or anything.  You could be trying to trick us."

            "I am the guardian of these waters,

            My rank given by high'r powers.

            Only those who give the answer,

            May the enchanted castle enter.

            Those who fail to do so,

            And barrel on through,

            Will meet a sad fate,

            At the hands of the water snake."

            Kagome sighed from exasperation.  This demon's poetry kept getting worse and worse!  If it got any worse, she was going to freak out and throw him over the river.  She didn't have time for riddles!  Inuyasha was out there, possibly in danger, and she was expected to sit around and answer riddles?

            "First!" the man said, pointing a finger in the air.  "How many letters are there in the alphabet?"

            At least he had stopped talking in rhyme!

            Shippo laughed.  "That's easy!  There's twenty…"

            Sango swiftly cupped her hand over his mouth.  "No.  The answer is eleven.  There's eleven letters in 'the alphabet'."

            The demon nodded.  "Correct.  You may pass."  He saw their distressed looks, and he smiled, revealing sharp, pointed teeth like those of a shark.  "There are three questions.  There is one question for each of you.  The lady who answered it may pass."  They were about to tell him that they preferred traveling together, as they were a team, but the man wouldn't have it.  "I'm not going to continue until she crosses."

            Reluctantly, Sango crossed, Kirara bristling with anger on her shoulder.  _What?  Just because I'm not in a humanoid form like the kitsune I don't get to answer a riddle too?  What the hell am I?  Chopped liver?  The cat thought about this a moment, and then licked her lips.  __Actually, liver sounds pretty good about now…._

            Ignoring Kirara, the demon guardian continued.  "Secondly, CANDY can be spelled with just two words.  What are they?"

            Shippo jumped up and down. "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!  I know this one! 'See' and 'why'! 'See' and 'why'!"

            "How the heck can 'see' and 'why' make up 'candy'?" Kagome asked, scratching her head.  Then it clicked in.  "Oh, I understand. C and Y makes 'candy'.  Clever."  She hugged Shippo for getting it right, laughing somewhat nervously as she realized she was the only one left.  She set Shippo on the ground so he could run across the rock bridge and join Sango on the other side.  She was never any good with riddles….

            Balling her fist, she told herself to concentrate.  She had to do this!  It was for Inuyasha!  Shippo was cheering for her, and she had to smile, but she ignored him.  She had to concentrate!  Sango held her breath, anxiously petting Kirara, whose tail was twitching back and forth rhythmically, silently cheering her on.

            Even the demon from under the bridge smiled at her, his face patient. "Only one color, but not one size," he started slowly, giving it the chance to sink into her brain.  It seemed that he wanted her to pass as much as her friends did.  While Kagome shuddered when she thought back to his poetry, he really wasn't all that bad a guy at all.  "Stuck at the bottom, but easily flies.  Present in the sun, but not the rain, doing nor harm, and feeling no pain.  What is it?"

            Kagome was shocked.  How come Sango had gotten the easy one?  Kagome was screwed…. No!  She couldn't think that way!  Kagome refused to let herself think that way!  This was for Inuyasha.  'Come on Kagome,' she encouraged herself.  'Think it through slowly, logically.  Okay, only one color, but not one size.  Next line.  That one's too difficult.  Okay, next line's too hard too.  What is out when the sun shines, but not when it rains?  Well, obviously not clouds. Flower buds close, but they don't fly.'

            She stared up at the sky, finding it spotlessly blue, the sun warm on her skin.  'The sun makes things warm, but warm doesn't fly either, and it certainly isn't one color.  Heat, but that isn't a color either.  Nor is it found on the bottom…'  She glanced down, and there Kagome found her answer.

            Kagome smiled proudly.  "A shadow."

            The man nodded.  "That is correct.  Please, follow me.  I will take you to the Oracle."  He fell in step beside Kagome, and patted her shoulder.  "There was never really any doubt that you wouldn't be able to do it, Priestess.  The Oracle has taken a special interest in your case. After all, should something happen to King Sesshomaru, Heaven forbid it, he would be the next in line to the throne.  We don't want the next in line for the throne to have disappeared, now do we?"

            She had always known that Inuyasha was a prince, but she suddenly hadn't really clued into that until he had said Inuyasha was next in line to the throne.  If something did happen to Sesshomaru, then Inuyasha would become a king, and she would become his queen.  Oh…. Now that was just too creepy for the peasant Priestess to handle!  She didn't want to be the Queen!  Kagome nodded, agreeing with him: please, don't let anything bad happen to Seshsomaru!

~*~

            _Outside the hut the air was white with a blizzard.  Inside the cabin the air was warm, filled with the scents of cinnamon and apples from the pie Inuyasha had baked.  Kagome was curled up on a chair, a small smile on her lips as she watched him move about the kitchen._

_            "I can't believe you know how to bake pies, Inuyasha.  Even I can't do anything that complicated.  All I can manage are cookies and a few simple squares."_

_            "My mother taught me," Inuyasha said, pulling the pie from the oven.  He set it to cool and then walked to Kagome.  He pulled her out of the chair, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, his fingers toying with her hair.  She wrapped her arms around his waist, but his hair was so long, she was able to play with it from there._

_            "You're full of surprises, Inuyasha," Kagome chuckled, rising up on her tip toes to give him a kiss that would have given a man enough strength to brave the blizzard outside.  "That's just the way I like it."_

_            He smiled at her, and his hands moved down her sides.  "You haven't seen just how full of surprises I can be, Kagome," he promised her, and she shuddered from the suggestion.  And from the hands that now moved back up the sides of her body.  Inuyasha's smile was less than princely as he pulled her against his body, dipping his head to kiss her lips.  His mouth brushed hers, his breath warm on her skin.  "The pie will take an hour to finish baking.  Whatever shall we do to pass the time, Kagome?"_

_            She moved her hands up to his head, brushing the tips of his ears and getting nipped at in playful warning.  Kagome giggled.  "Surprise me."_

~*~

            The demon guarding the bridge led them through the castle of the Oracle, talking about the various paintings and statues that lined the way, each depicting a scene related to the Oracle herself.  Finally, they rounded the corner and a large set of doors loomed at the end.  For some reason the grandeur of the doors alone were enough to make Kagome feel as if she stood at the entrance to Hell.  She gulped down when she noticed that the demon had stopped.  Was he seriously going to leave them?  Those doors looked too big and heavy to push!  But Sango was strong, after all, and Kagome was no weakling.  If they had to go through those doors, then so be it!

            "Is the Oracle through there?" she asked, slurring her words a bit.

            The demon laughed, and pointed to a door so plain and commonplace that she had not even noticed it.  "The Oracle is through here.  I have to go back to the bridge now.  She will show you out when you are done.  Good luck to the best of you!"

            Sango glanced at her friends, and then entered first.  She found the room to be large, and sunny, the windows as large as the doors Kagome had worried over.  A little girl who looked only a few years older than Shippo sat in a chair, looking stoic, reading a book in a plush chair.  No fire was lit, but the room seemed warm anyway.  It was lined with books in languages even Sango couldn't read.

            Looking up from the book, the girl's eyes were hollowed, and sad.  Her voice was soft, however, and soothing.  "I am Kanna, the Oracle.  You may ask me only one question each."

            "Why?" Shippo demanded before he thought.

            She looked at him with ghostly eyes, and Kagome was certain that if this girl had simply been an ordinary girl, instead of an all-seeing young lady who saw things if she wanted to or not, no matter how horrible they were, she might have been smiling at his question.  Of course, the tail that wavered behind him didn't help either.  "Because otherwise people would abuse my power.  This makes them stop and think, about how to phrase their question, and about what is most important for them.  If you need time to think, I will summon one of my caretakers to give you rooms for the night."

            Shippo clapped his hands over his mouth, realizing what he had done.  He'd wasted his question!  He hid behind the two girls, kicking his fox feet childishly. Damn!  He had been going to ask her about how to gain candy!

            Kagome and Sango glanced at each other, and the knight nodded.  She approached Kanna and bowed, and this time the albino girl really did manage to smile.  "Ah, Captain Sango.  You have been a joy to watch after all these years.  Such dedication and perseverance.  I know not what you are going to ask, and that is odd for me.  I can tell you where Miroku is, I can tell you how to heal his hand, I can tell you many things.  What is it you would like to know?"

            "I would like to know exactly what happened to Inuyasha and Miroku."  Kanna opened her mouth to speak, and Sango bent down in front of Kanna, her brown eyes pensive.  Was that a good enough question that all their questions could be answered?  But Kanna said nothing, and Sango then realized that she actually needed to put it in the form of a question.  "Can you… No.  _How_ can Kagome and I save Inuyasha and Miroku?"

            The Oracle nodded approvingly.  That was exactly the question she had been looking for.  'Can' would have of coursed created a yes or no answer.  But how, demanding an explanation, was worthy of a detailed answer. She gently lifted a small mirror, and held it out for Sango to see.  Images passed over the glass, lending pictures to her words.  "Miroku sought for a way to heal his hand, and encountered a Sorceress.  She tricked him into giving him her hand she healed, and now she is her husband, in offer, though not in ceremony or consummation.  You will find him in the forest bordering the human and demon worlds, in fact, you will find him in the same woods that Miroku uses for his base of thieving operations.  But the tower is only accessible by those who are willing to risk everything, including death, to gain what they want so badly it consumes them, and they all but enter a state of madness.  You must find the tower, and you must outwit the Sorceress.

            "As for Inuyasha, is situation is more dire.  Yura sought revenge, and poisoned him.  He sleeps in peaceful dreams as he slips into oblivion.  Even my gaze cannot see how close he is to death, or where his body has been hidden, as hard as I tried to look for it.  Kagome, your quest is much harder than Sango's.  You must find his body, and then you must do everything you can to wake him up.  That, you're heart will tell you to do."

            Kagome felt cold, from this information, and she slowly approached the Oracle, kneeling down beside Sango.  "Kanna…. How can I live out my days with Inuyasha and age as him, or him as me?"

            Feeling sorry for Kagome and the task set before her, Kanna was generous, or as generous as she could be, with such a question.  "You will find that out for yourself.  You are, after all, a Priestess.  I can give you no answer, for the solution must come from within yourself."  She sighed, and looked at them all, putting the mirror down.  "It is getting late.  I can show you all to rooms for the night."

            "That would be wonderful," Kagome said.

            Sango pursed her lips, looking up at the small girl.  "Just a moment, Kagome.  Oracle, I have one more question.  Is there anything that Kagome, or Shippo or I, could do for yourself?"

            Kanna was touched.  She had always been treated with kindness and respect, but never had somebody asked her if there was something she desperately wanted.  She actually managed to smile.  "No, thank you, Sango.  I have everything I need.  Come, I will show you to your rooms for the night."

~*~

            Miroku watched in the mirror, and now grew worried as well.  He had been worried before because the Priestess had brought him up dinner, and had not reappeared since then.  This was the longest he had been without seeing her, and while he didn't particularly enjoy her company, he didn't dislike it either.  And some part of him worried what would happen to him if she forgot about him and left him to waste away in his tower.

            'Poor Inuyasha…. Poor Kagome!'

            Then he thought about something else, and then he looked at the mirror, already wincing.  The mirror always went wonky when he asked it to show him something.  "Show me where Inuyasha is being held!" he commanded, and the mirror hissed, spat, and glowed.  He image slowly melted, and a bird's eyes view of Yura's village showed up, slowly spinning and moving through the streets as if a bird was flying through it, and then, woosh!  Through a door went the view, and down and down and down a spiraling staircase until the ground became rock, and formations dripped from the ceiling.  Even just through pictures, Miroku could tell it was cold, and stale, filled with death.  It was a place of evil sorcery.  No wonder Kanna's pure mirror had been unable to see into the rocky hellhole, while the alabaster mirror of the cruel Sorceress could!

             He commanded the mirror again, and it crackled, the picture returning to his beloved Sango.  He held the mirror close, and raised his voice, as if his voice might somehow carry through the mirror to the heart of his beloved.  "Sango!  You have to come and get me first!  I can tell you where Inuyasha is!  Come on Sango, talk to Kagome and come and get me first!  You know you can do it! Please!"  His grip on the mirror was so hard it was a wonder he didn't accidentally crack it.

            The other reason why he wanted the real Sango back was because he didn't know how long he could hold out against the Sorceress.  


	5. Nobody Ever Suspects the Butterfly

AN:  I hate essays!  On that note: updates make me feel like I have accomplished something! ^_^  And I still don't own Inuyasha, or fairy tales in general!!  And I'm also still trying to work on a way to get some more fairy tale people in here.

(I mean: Miroku with seven female dwarves?  You know you want to see it!)

Mybyrdy:  I do so love your suggestions! ^_^  I am working on them, but I don't think that I'll be able to get them all in here.  Which sucks monkey balls, because like I said: Miroku and three fairy godmothers?  Oh, you know what's going through his head…

Ilvan:  Sorry.  Lazy today!  About the wifely comment: congratulations.  I always try and stay one chapter a head, that way I have some direction with where I'm going with the story and stuff, and so, I was writing this one when you made the comment.  As I was saying: congrats.  You're the person who made my muse decide to give Kagome some butt kicking time.  Okay, not a lot of butt-kicking, because that would ruin the few twists I have planned, but it's all good! 

Note: Anything in italics is indeed Inuyasha.  That's what I am proud of: it's an Inu/Kagome fic, but they are barely even together in it, except in chapter one, and in snippets of his memory.  So yes, italics equals Inuyasha's living dreams.

Enjoy, everybody!

And yes, this chapter title is from The Simpsons!

Chapter Five: "No One Ever Suspects the Butterfly"

"Well?" Sango asked, crawling into bed.  On the bed beside her, Kagome was doing the same.  She saw Kagome look her way, before turning back to tuck Shippo in, and Sango elaborated.  "Kagome, Inuyasha could be dying right now, and Miroku has been caught be a female.  Your husband is in a dire situation than Miroku, but…."

"But you worry about him all the same?" she suggested.  Kagome tried to hide the way her friend's words made her feel, about how thinking of Inuyasha dying cut her like no other words could.  Her smile was a faint shadow of its normal self.

Nodding, Sango stroked Kirara, who purred.  At least Kirara was in good spirits.  "Yes, I worry, but that's not what I meant.  Kagome, Kanna told us that we need to be willing to give up everything to enter the place to save Miroku.  But I don't want to do this alone.  I want you to be there with me.  I want us to do this together.  How can you enter the forest with me if we save Inuyasha first and you have everything you want to gain?  And how in the world can we save him when even the Oracle doesn't know where to look?  Does your power tell you anything?"

Kagome shook her head.  "As much power as I have, it's nowhere near her level.  Well, maybe it is," she corrected in retrospect after Sango gave her a look that told her to stop being so meek.  "They are both the power of a Priestess, purification and prophecy, but she does one and I do the other.  There's no way that I would be able to find him."  

She stared out the window and her face fell.  She couldn't pretend to be happy and perky forever.  Absentmindedly, she pulled out the fibres and a small, travel sized loom.  She doubted that she would get any sleep that night, so she might as well do something productive.

"Isn't it funny, Sango?  In fairy tales, they always have the heroines have a way to find their loved ones, though it takes a long time and it's often hard work, but it's always in the nick of time.  And often, the heroine says she can feel what direction to go into.  But I don't know.  Is it because I'm not concentrating enough?  I should be able to feel where he was, shouldn't I?  I mean," she rambled, staring at the ring on her finger.  "We're connected.  Shouldn't this tell me that he's okay, or when he's close?"

Sango reached over, already laying in bed, and clasped her companion's hand.  She yawned, and managed to smile, rubbing a tired eye.  "Don't worry about it so much, Kagome.  We're not going to let anything happen to either of them.  Besides, this Sorceress is powerful, right?  Maybe we could trick her into telling you where he is, when we trick her into getting her to release Miroku."

"Do you already have that planned out?"  Kagome smiled in spite of herself.  Sango's words were of little reassurance against such a weighty matter, but she did appreciate the promise on Sango's face, and the eagerness in her voice to "kick some butt" as she had said one day after hanging out with Miroku for far too long a period.

"Not really," she admitted with a small giggle.  If Sango was worried –which Kagome knew she was- she didn't show it.  It impressed the magical young lady.  Sango was strong, that was for sure.  It was no wonder how she managed to be knighted, or hook somebody as impossible as Miroku.  "I'm working on it though.  I think that I'll have an answer after I get some shut eye.  If all I have to worry about is Miroku having sex with a Sorceress…. Sorry!  That was completely uncalled for."

Kagome laughed gently.  "I don't mind.  It keeps me from thinking about Inuyasha.  I really don't need to bet so worried that I'm ill, now, do I?  Because that would only make things worse.  So please, make me laugh, Sango.  Make me forget that right now he's… Just, keep me laughing?"  Her smile grew, but it was hollow.  Her chocolate brown eyes filled with sadness.  "He likes it when I laugh.  Maybe, he can hear it."

Reassuringly smiling, Sango continued.  "In that case: Miroku is probably being tempted with sex. And lots of it.  And lots of children. And when I meet him… oh, you bet he's going to work off all the times he's thought about acting on her offer.  And the very first thing I am going to do is to make him mow my lawn."  She laughed, and explained when Kagome gave her a puzzled look.  "I own many, many hectares of land."

The Next Morning…..

            As Sango and Kagome headed out, fed and well rested, Miroku was still laying in bed. There wasn't much else to do, after all. He had his whole day planned out for him: stay in bed until he wondered if he was incapacitated.  Then he would get up and do some exercises to stay fit.  After he exercised, he would take a very long shower.  Then, hopefully, it would be lunchtime.

            And if it wasn't lunch time by then, maybe he would ask her for some nail polish so he could paint his toenails.

            Miroku was going to go insane!

            Suddenly arms wrapped around him, and he wondered how she had gotten into his bed, let alone how the Sorceress managed to get behind him, so that he felt her assets pressing into his back, as soft as the rest of her.  She purred, her breath rolling against his ear.  Had that been Sango doing that, Miroku would have turned around and demanded that she bare his children.  "Did you have a nice night?  It wasn't too cold, was it?"

            "Why should you care?" he bitterly demanded.  "Why should you care how comfortable I am?  Wouldn't it just be easier on you if you took all this away?"

            "But that would put your welfare at risk!  I want healthy children, and I can't do that if you're sick!"  She sounded genuinely concerned about his health.  Of course she would be.  She really did want to have his kids.  She wouldn't touch him if she thought he was unhealthy.  Her lips brushed his cheek, and her long hair spilled over her shoulder.  And then it tumbled over his as she leaned over him, trying to reach his mouth.

            Her hair was black.

            Miroku spun around, and found Sango's face peering at him, as if she was wondering what was wrong.  But it was still the Sorceress' voice coming through Sango's determined mouth.  He turned back away.  "Go away," he growled.

            How was that possible?  He had been thinking about that very thing!  He could still remember it, sitting in bed late at night reading and having Sango slide in bed behind him to read over his shoulder.  She loved it when she did that, because that was when she kissed his cheek, and blew in his ear, until he flung the scroll across the room and forgot all about it.

            And wasn't that what she had already tried to make him do?  Just like he had wondered about her the day before, and then, she was suddenly in his bedroom, just as he wanted, doing exactly what he wanted.  Miroku understood.

            "Get out," he rumbled, his voice coming from deep within him, about to explode at any second.  Nothing, not even Inuyasha, could ever look as dangerous as one of Miroku's glares.

            Perhaps that was because Miroku didn't have fuzzy puppy ears.

            But whatever the reason, so sure was the Sorceress in her powers and her current form, that she didn't bat an eyelash, and instead stared at him, unable to touch him, because for the first time since he had gotten there, Miroku wasn't thinking about having any women touch him, not even his Sango.  She realized this and widened her eyes.  "Oh, pooh.  And I was liking this form so much too.  Don't you like it?"

            And then he realized that she was naked.

            Before he could think about it, he, well, thought about it, and suddenly she was pinning his hand in place on a derriere that he had always been slapped for touching.  He sighed out of contentment; it felt just like he remembered it had.  Miroku looked up again, and her brown eyes were cold.  It was not his Sango, damn it, he _had_ to remember that!  He sighed again, this time from sadness at giving up the skin under his healed hand. Struggling, he managed to pull his hand away, and he did so with such force that he fell of the bed.  That was enough to knock him out of it for awhile, and the Sorceress disappeared.  

She couldn't do anything with him if he hadn't given her silent permission for it.  The problem was that Miroku could think about someone else doing it, like Sango, and the Sorceress could merely assume her form.  She could assume any form.

            If he had always just wanted kids, it would have been perfect.  Miroku would never get tired of having different women at his hands, of all ages, shapes, and sizes, and they could both get strong, healthy children.  He could have learned to be happy, had she approached him before he had met Sango.            

            But as that was when he had been far too young to understand what was being asked of him, and without a need to seek her out as he had no kazaana, it wouldn't have worked out.

            When he awoke, Miroku saw that there was a plate of food on the desk for him.  He eyed it warily.  He didn't trust it at all.  She had too many tricks up her sleeve, this one.

            He pulled on his robes, after taking a cold shower that was a tad too long for comfort.  Then he sat down on the cold floor, and began to breathe deeply, muttering words in between his exhaled breaths.  He wouldn't eat or drink anything that she gave him, just to be on the safe side.

            And he wouldn't think about girls, Sango or otherwise!

            Oh, it was going to be hard.

            Good thing he was a monk.

            _Inuyasha__ opened his eyes and found a steaming plate beside him.  But what made him smile was the arms that wrapped around him and the lips that kissed his cheek in greeting.  Inuyasha turned his head, Kagome leaning over him, her hair still disheveled from last night.  "Did you make breakfast for me?"_

_            "Well, I did lose our agreement before we had a pillow fight last night, so I kind of had to."  She giggled and snuggled against his chest, slipping her head underneath his chin.  Clearly, she was not ready to let him up._

_            "My breakfast is going to get cold if you don't let me eat it," he pointed out, running his fingers through her hair.  Unfortunately, that meant that Kagome was even more determined to stay right where she was.  He chuckled, knowing that he was never going to be able to eat his breakfast while it was still warm.  He kissed her bangs, and she sighed with contentment.  It was picturesque, even if his mouth was hungry from the smell of freshly cooked bacon rather than the beautiful woman he held._

_            He cupped her chin and lifted her face so that he could kiss her lips.  He stared at her.  "Why haven't we actually spent the night in the same bed, again, Kagome? I want to wake up and find you here.  Like this.  Forget the food, I like finding you in bed, and smiling, and kissing you like this."_

_            He felt a tremor run up her spine.  When he looked at her soft expression, and he watched her lick her lips as she ran her fingers through the hair curled on his shoulder, he knew that it was far from being a shiver of repulsion he had caused.  No, she was scared.  Or maybe she was considering taking him up on the offer.  The thought made his ears stand tall on his head, as if listening for any other signs that she wanted to stay with him._

_            "Let's forget about the fact that we haven't actually been married yet, Kagome.  I mean, I call you my wife when I talk about you.  Ah, I… I haven't been talking about you…" He looked very uncomfortable, and Kagome laughed._

_            "Don't worry, Inuyasha.  I often call you my husband when I talk about you, so it's all okay.  And… And I understand perfectly what you mean."_

_            They stared at each other._

_            "Let's do it tonight."_

_            They both laughed, having said it in unison.  Inuyasha brushed her hair, his nails breaking between the strands to her pale skin under it.  His golden eyes grew longing, and Inuyasha wanted to suddenly throw off the covers.  "Let's do it now," he eagerly suggested._

_            Kagome was shocked. This from the same man who had built her a room of her own because he thought it would be improper for them to share a bed before they married?  Her vocal cords were frozen, but soon she managed to let out a squeak of surprise.  The fact that Inuyasha had rolled her over so that her back was flat against the mattress probably didn't help.  She managed to avert her eyes back to his face after she took a moment too long to stare at his chest._

_            And then he gave her a kiss that made her wrap her arms around his neck and return the favor so wholeheartedly he nearly fell off the bed._

_            But before things could go further, the door knocked.  Inuyasha and Kagome stared at it, wondering who it was. Taking her by her shoulders, Inuyasha drew her up for another kiss.  "Ignore them," he told her, and the kiss he gave her was certainly enough convincing she needed._

_            If it was really worth it, their visitor would come calling again… hopefully at a more opportune time._

_            The knocking would not cease, much to both of their annoyances, and Inuyasha dragged himself away.  He was both startled and unhappy to see that it was a messenger from Sesshomaru.  Kagome waited behind him, a blanket wrapped around her.  Inuyasha closed the door, thanking the messenger gruffly._

_            "Bad news?" she worried out loud._

_            He nodded.  "I have to go out.  I'm wanted immediately." He was still a moment, and then he grabbed Kagome in a blur of movement and his lips were on hers before she could let out a squeak of surprise.  The room seemed to spin around as they said their goodbyes.  For it was their goodbye.  
            Kagome was out in the field working when Inuyasha left a brief half hour later.  He never even said when he would be back._

_            Whenever it would be, it wouldn't be soon enough for either of them._

Yura watched him, munching softly on a piece of jerky.  Bite. Bite.  Stare.  Bite. Bite.  Stare.  Bite.  Stop. Listen.  Bite.  Bite.  Stare.

            His fingers clenched, and his breath missed an intake.  She could read the sentiment as if she could read his mind.  He was at the lonely stage now, realizing times that had made him feel lonely.  Soon it would be times that had made him feel unloved.  Inuyasha suddenly whimpered loudly, and she broke the pattern she had formed by nearly swallowing.  A whimper!  The great prince, the murderer of her lover, letting out a _whimper_ like some sort of real puppy dog?

            She laughed loudly and drew her stool closer, one slender leg folded over the other.  Yura studied his face, hers looking deceptively soft.  "Aw, the puppy had a bad dream?  What are you thinking about now, I wonder?"  He whimpered again, and this time she heard the word.  "Mother?  Ah, you're thinking of your mother!  How very human of you… demons take death with more style than that.  This long to get to loneliness?  Your death is going to be taking longer than I expected!"

            Whipping up more of the potion, she climbed up on the slab under him and lay his head in her lap.  Yura tilted his chin up in the air and forced his mouth open, pouring more of the liquid down his throat.  He coughed, swallowing it as he tried to breath.  Yura practically purred in appreciation, taking care to wipe his mouth for him.  She didn't want her picturesque death scene marred by any of that icky stuff.  No doubt that magic-filled wench of his would be along sooner of later.

            Kagome had played a part in Hiten's death too.  If she didn't come, Yura would just have to take the shell to her.  She couldn't wait to see the expression on Kagome's face when she saw her fiancé lying motionless, only to have her rush forward and finding him as cold as marble!

            "I hope that your body isn't trying to defend itself against my drugs," she warned him.  "I guess I'll just have to prepare myself and make more."  
  


Elsewhere….

            Exactly two and half hours into his meditating, the Sorceress slipped some potpourri in the room.  It was the same scent that Sango's servants used to keep the lady knight's bedroom smelling fresh for when she returned.

            Half an hour later, he needed to go take another long, cold shower.

That Evening….

            Shippo pointed to Kagome.  "There.  That's our forest!  That's where we stay!"

            The woman nodded.  "All right then.  Put us down, Kirara.  I don't think that we'll be able to find our way to her place from the air. We'll have to go by foot."  She glanced over her shoulder at the knight.  "Sango, have you gotten an idea yet?"

            She shook her head, and Shippo sniffed audibly at the display.  He didn't want his buddy in crime to disappear anymore than Sango did!  Sango reassured him with a smile.  "We still have a little bit of time left.  Hopefully, it won't take very long to find her.  We have to save Inuyasha after all."  Her friend smiled, glad that she was being thought about, even if hearing his name brought a pained expression to her eyes.  Sango kicked herself for being so blunt about reminding her of the clicking tock.  Then, suddenly, Kagome stiffened.  

Sango was about to ask what it was, what was wrong, when she felt something tug at her.  It felt like it was tugging at her heart and body and mind.  There were two distinct tugs.  One was like a soft song that drew by curiosity, but the other was steady, and stronger.  Something was pulling at all three centers for thought, action, and sentiment, and all from in the same direction.

            "Miroku?"  The wind blew her ponytail, and it was only a wind.  Yet Sango was certain that somehow Miroku knew they were coming and was urging them on!  If she strained hard enough, she could hear his voice… but that was only a memory.  For a brief moment, she soared through the wonderful memories they had made together, and then she struck one that chilled her.  Miroku's hand… power over the wind… Miroku _was the goddamn wind!_

            Kirara and Shippo, unfortunately, had no idea about what was happening.  Kirara hovered, and slowly lowered herself between the large trees of the forest just as she had been asked to.  Shippo was all but bouncing side to side on his fox-feet, demanding to know why Sango and Kagome suddenly looked like zombies.  "Come on!" he whined.  They jumped off of Kirara, but Shippo stayed where he was, wrapping his arm around the cat's neck and clinging on as if she were a teddy bear.  "It's freaking me out you two!  Stop it!"

            His impish face looking ready to burst into tears pulled them both out of it.  Kagome hugged him tightly and then set him back on Kirara.  Their two demonic companions had not felt the pulling, the need and desire that had suddenly over come the two humans, because they were here for adventure, out of boredom, or mere concern.  Sango and Kagome were there because they needed to be.  They didn't have to find the Sorceress; she could sense their wishes and was drawing them to her, like an animal lured by the call of a mate.

            "You stay with Kirara," Kagome told him.  Shippo was about to protest, but Sango rubbed his head, and smiled down at him gently.

            "You know these woods, Shippo.  Kirara doesn't.  You need to stay with her so that she doesn't get lost and fall into any kind of trouble.  Okay?"

            Shippo nodded, and climbed back on Kirara's back.  The cat demon practically winked, not about to ruin their plan.  Shippo couldn't go because he could not feel the summons of the Sorceress; and as old as he was in demon years, there were creatures in the woods older than he.  Kirara would protect him, but Shippo would feel like he was the one who had a mission to accomplish now.

            Licking their hands goodbye and good luck, Kirara sat down and watched them leave, waiting for them to be out of side before she got tired of the kitsune getting chocolate in her fur….  So she started to play fight with him, wondering how long it would take for her other friends to return.

            There are many things that are said about women: that they only use poison to kill because they do not have the strength to use the sword, that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and, as Miroku had pointed out to Sango before he had been captured, that women could sometimes create great evil.  Both Sango and Kagome were seething in anger at the way this woman used her power, and how the nicer she looked, the more deceptive she was being.

            Like most of the woods in the demon part of the kingdom, the forests were ancient.  Decades of growth by all things in the forests usually meant the trees were tall, and the competition among them for sunlight meant they twisted and turned, creating a puzzle of branches.  Here, all the trees were tall and straight, and the sunlight was warm on their faces.

            Kagome could feel the evil in the forest.  It was so strong it itched her skin.  So much evil!  As much power as she had, she would collapse from exhaustion before she had managed to purify even a fraction of the Sorceress' domain.  "Miroku may be a thief, but he's still a monk as well.  Why didn't he feel all the evil here?"  Sango didn't answer her, and she saw her friend with a smile on her face as a butterfly, still new to the world, sat on her finger drying wet wings. 

            She repeated her question, and Sango only casually shrugged.  "I don't know, Kagome.  This place doesn't seem so bad to me.  I mean, there are butterflies.  You'd never see butterflies in the other parts of the forest."

            Her eyes drifted to the butterfly, and Kagome lunged for the sword at Sango's side.  The butterflies!  That's what she felt that were so evil!  Those damn butterflies!  Sango grabbed her wrist with her free hand, keeping her from trying to kill the butterfly on Sango's finger.

            "What's gotten into you?  It's just a butterfly!"

            A buzzing noise picked up in the forest and Kagome dropped the sword, holding her ears.  She felt like she was going to be ill, and the noise, such noise!  It sounded like a murder of mosquitoes had wedged themselves in both her ears.  She whimpered in pain, landing on her knees.  Kagome managed to open her eyes, and she saw a swarm of butterflies gathering around her. 'No!  Stay away from me!'

            The buzzing increased, and she winced from the pain, and then it stopped.  Kagome's body relaxed, and she realized that she was still on her knees in the forest, but she couldn't sense anything bad now.  The butterflies had all disappeared.

            Cool hands touched her shoulders, and she looked up to see a face framed with silver hair looking down at her in concern.  "Kagome," he asked, "are you okay?  Sango told us that you were walking here, and then you suddenly collapsed.  Sango couldn't do anything for you, and she went to try and get Miroku to help. She said you were covered in butterflies.  Sango killed the Sorceress, and Miroku exorcised all the butterflies that had been on you.  They didn't hurt you, did they?"

            "But… you…"  Kagome suddenly smiled and launched herself at the man.  She didn't know how he had gotten free of Yura and her poison, but she didn't care.  "Inuyasha!  You're alive!  I was so worried!"  Kagome launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest.  Tears stung her eyes, and when Inuyasha's clawed hands began to stroke her hair, she let them come.

            Inuyasha didn't even seem to realize that she was crying.  "Why would you worry about me, Kagome?  I wouldn't let some bitch like Yura kill me when I haven't even gotten to screw you yet, right?"

            She nuzzled closer to his chest, and wondered why he was being so crude with her.  Okay, Inuyasha didn't exactly have the best language around, but it was never like this before!  And never about subjects like sex… he knew how to make her laugh and curl up against him and how to make her sigh, and right now, he wasn't doing any of it.  But, they had an agreement, and she had accepted marriage to him.  So if this was the Inuyasha underneath the gentle one that liked to bake pies and whose idea of turning her on was by licking her neck and talking in a low voice…..

            She had to admit she liked the old Inuyasha better.

            "How is Miroku?  He's not hurt, is he?"

            "I imagine he will be once Sango gets through with him.  She was fairly happy to see him.  She just jumped on him at agreed to have his babies and that they should get started on it right away."

            Her eyebrows drew together and she lifted her head from his chest.  The material of his jacket scratched her nose.  That didn't seem like Sango, either.  She pulled out of his arms and looked up at his face.  He looked like Inuyasha.  He smelled like Inuyasha… he didn't talk like Inuyasha though.  Kagome tried to smile.  "But at least you kept your word to me."

            "Oh?"  He smiled at her, looking almost teasing.  "And what surprise is that, Kagome?"

            Even though she was sure that he was teasing her, she felt hurt.  And when Kagome felt hurt… Kagome stomped her foot, tears stinging her eyes again, only these ones were actually tears of hurt.  "Inuyasha!  Don't you dare be so callous!  You… you arrogant, selfish, stubborn, misogynist, violent, angry, stupid, narrow-minded, dog-breathed JERK!"

            Kagome was pissed. She didn't mind being teased; in fact, Kagome quite liked it when Inuyasha teased her, but never about something so serious.  He had left her, and promised to come back to her before the birds flew, and then he had gone and nearly gotten himself poisoned!  Nobody would have known where he was hidden, it could have been weeks until she found out what had happened to him, and he had the audacity to actually tease her about it?!

            Knowing exactly how to get her revenge, she jumped on his back and pulled harshly on his puppy ears, still calling him names.  

            Inuyasha did nothing.

           She stopped, and leaned over his shoulder, pulling his face over to meet hers.  Her eyebrows drew together, puzzled.  A tear stopped halfway down her cheek, practically frozen as she felt all her pain drain away to be replaced by a sense of… being unattached.  She had stepped away from the scenario and was taking look at it from a whole new perspective. "Aren't you going to call me a wench for pulling on your ears or something, Inuyasha?"

            "Why should I?  I like it when you play with my ears."

            'Yes, play,' she mentally agreed, 'but pulling on them isn't playing with them.'

            She slid off his back and walked back to his front.  He held a hand out for her, and she eyed him warily.  Inuyasha looked puzzled, and hurt.  "What's the matter, Kagome?  It's just a hand.  It's not like I'm going to bite you, or anything."  He smiled and revealed his fangs, his silent version of a 'not hard' addition.  Normally it would have made her smile and her skin grow cold as she thought about the fun she could have with a man with fangs, and she became confused.  It was exactly something her Inuyasha would say.

            Her eyes narrowed but he didn't noticed.  "We'll go to the Sorceress' tower. Miroku and Sango will be finished soon, unless they want to go for seconds.  In that case, we can help ourselves to the pantry.   I can cook, and you can whip up some fast desert, right Kagome?  And if they go for thirds… what would you like to do, Kagome?  Now that you have me back, what's the one thing you want to more than anything?"

            Kagome smiled at him softly, and her hand itched as she took his hand.  Then the smile turned into a duplicate of Inuyasha's grin.  "You.  Are not.  My Inuyasha."  She shoved her magic into the hand she held.  Watching his face twist from pain made her want to hate herself, but this was not her Inuyasha.  The disguise melted away, but he still retained the face and clothes, the hair she loved to brush.  Wings sprouted from his back in the stained glass pattern of a butterfly, and the shape beneath his robes became softer, more feminine.

            He –she?- snarled at her, and suddenly her eyes snapped open, and this time, they opened to reality.  Kagome picked herself up from the dirt, Sango helping her.  Kagome watched as the butterfly that Sango had been tending to and one that had landed in her hair sped away.  She grabbed the sword and started off after them, explaining to Sango: "The butterflies!  The Sorceress is a butterfly!"

            Sango was puzzled for a moment, and then she launched herself at Kagome, knocking her to the ground.  She easily pinned the struggling girl, who looked on the verge of insanity, hollering for the blood of a butterfly, dirt on her knees and face, her black hair in tangles.  "God, no!  Not you too, Sango!  Sango, whatever you're seeing, it's all an illusion!  Let me go!  I have to stop her!  She's a demon, I _have_ to stop her!  I can't let her take any more people!"

            "She's not going to!"  Sango promised her.  Kagome's eyes slowly became lucid as they realized that Sango wasn't trying to hurt her, she was just trying to stop her from killing the demon.  Sango slowly sat up.  "Kagome, I realize that you have to stop her, but Miroku… Butterfly demons are shape shifters.  They can become anyone they want to be, and have other powers of illusion, the same way that some butterflies or moths can look like the faces of owls to keep predators away.  If she changed Miroku as punishment for not helping her bare her young… then she's the only one who can turn him back."

            With a sigh, she stood up, and picked her sword up from the bright grass.  "Are you still willing to give up everything to see her?  If not, turn back.  I can go the rest of the way myself."  She sheathed her sword.

            Kagome sat up, smoothing down her hair as she thought.  She didn't want illusions, she wanted the real thing.  Now that she knew that whatever the Sorceress would give her would be fake, would she go?  She shook her head, trembling.  "I can't.  I'm sorry, but I can't."

            Nodding, Sango understood.  "That's all right.  Wait here.  I'll be back for you as soon as I go trick her out of a sexy monk."  She waved as she walked off, trying to sound light hearted, like Miroku always did.  It was the difference between what the Sorceress could offer that kept Kagome from coming.  She could offer the Priestess only lies, while she had the one thing that was real to Sango trapped in the palm of her hand.


	6. A Bargain with the Devil

AN:  ARG!  I'm trying to sign up for classes, and it bloody well won't let me.  At this rate, I won't be able to sign up for my Shakespeare course and I really, really want to have an excuse to walk around quoting the Bard!! Oh well. Posting it will make it better. Until I realized that I have to write another fight scene now.  Bah,. Oh well. 

Lily:  Good to know that someone appreciates my odd style of humor!  I like making people laugh, but every few people understand it.  And I find it's hard for me to write. I think too much in pictures.  But that's what I get for drawing a comic book.  

eX Driver Liz: Mwahahahahah!  Wait till you see what else I have planned….

Note: still trying to work on the fairy godmother and the seven dwarves.

Note number two:  There is actually a fairy tale about the Starfish.  It's one of my favorites, very cute, and intelligent.  I suggest you read it, if you can find it someplace.  It's called, if I recall: The Starfish.  Imagine that!  ^^

Kiyoushi: You're cute. ^^  Rambling is fun.  Rambling at 11:16…. Not so much fun.  I can never remember what I say when I ramble so late.  And shhh!  You'll ruin everything.  Only three more essays to go and done all of them for the year….

Ilvin: if you remember correctly, those names are the same ones she called in graphic novel number three, when Sota was asking her about Inuyasha.  I laughed quite hard when I read that.  But I am afraid you might be quite disappointed when it comes to Sango kicking the Sorceress' butt.

Enjoy!!

****

Chapter 6:  A Bargain with the Devil

            "Did you hear?"

            He didn't answer her question.  Holding her wounded hand, the limb that Kagome had grabbed, she stood over the meditating monk.  Furious, she used her good hand to pull on his cute little ponytail.  Miroku swore in a most unmonk-like manner.  She tapped her foot on the ground, glowering at him.  "Did you know that your girlfriend is coming to try and save you?"

            A small smile lit in his eyes, even though his lips frowned.  "I may or may not have been aware of it.  However, I truly did not expect for her to have arrived this quickly."  The smirk he gave her as he rubbed his chin was devilish and adorable at the same time.  "Well, I've always heard that it was knights that rescue people from evil creatures such as yourself.  Why should Sango be the exception?  This would be the first time, as far as I know, that it would be a female knight who was coming to rescue a male captive from a Sorceress.  I'm very proud of her."

            The Sorceress looked as if she had gotten slapped.  "But… I can be everything you ever wanted!  I can satisfy you if ways that no other woman can, Miroku.  You'd never be lacking for anything, or anyone!"

            He looked up at her, and felt sorry for her.  The poor woman!  She must feel so alone, in these woods by herself.  Poor little…. You know, she had a good point.  He stood and patted her shoulder.  "I'd never be lacking for anything physical.  And you have an even better point when you entice me with your shape changing abilities, but there are some things a man needs which you cannot give.  If I merely wanted children, this might be the perfect relationship, and perhaps we might be able to satisfy all of each other's wants and needs in time, but I have Sango.  She already gives me everything I need, and one day, she will give me everything I want.  Sango has already promised me that."

            Miroku grinned.  "Now, if she's coming to pick me up, then the least I can do is to clean myself up.  Pardon me, Sorceress, but I think that I'll go and have another shower."

            But the woman wasn't about to give up so easily.  She didn't understand, maybe she even _couldn't_ understand, what Miroku was talking about.  Her blue eyes narrowed, and her hair shimmered as she followed him.  "Miroku!  When she comes I want you at my side!  Smile for her and show her how happy I tried to make you, and how happy you would have been if you had just cooperated a little bit more!"  She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and made him face the mirror hanging over the kitchen sink.  "Look at how happy we could have been…."

            In the mirror, the reflection showed them both, smiling and happy.  Miroku shook his head, and focused his gaze and the illusion vanished.  

            The Sorceress was getting desperate, and when she became desperate, she became angry.  "Damn it, monk, you tell that bitch to stay away!  If you don't then when she gets close to you, I'll open up that whole in your hand and you can watch yourself kill her!"

            His responding glare was strong enough to make the butterfly demon back up a step, and cut through her anger to invoke fear in her heart.  "Go ahead and do it.  At least that way I will die with never having cheating on her.  And then you can't hurt anymore.  And if you do open up my wind-tunnel, I will grab anything I can, shatter anything I can, until I get an edge I can use to slice my hand and make it go unstable.  Then I will suck this house, and anything around it, and even myself into it."  

            Miroku looked down at the smooth skin of his palm.  He ran a finger over it. It felt like skin; not like cloth.  He was certain that the Sorceress had really healed his hand.  He had thought that once he had gotten rid of his kazaana that he would never want it back, but if it meant that he could have his Sango back, he would take it as well.  Sango loved him whether or not he had a hole in his hand. She had always said it was his choice to get rid of it or not.

            The Sorceress was shocked at his blunt and destructive statement.  Her threat had been turned back against her.  Desperate to have her sexy perverted monk, she threw her arms around him and gave him a peck on his cheek.  "Don't hate me for what I'm going to do, my darling Miroku!  I can't let that silly little knight ruin our happy future together."

            Before he could inquire, she faded away, and her last words lingered in the air.  'I'm going to bottle her soul.'

~*~

            Although Kagome had injured the Sorceress, her illusion did not fade.  Or, if it did, then reality was identical to the same sunny, warm room Miroku had found.  Sango stared at it, still trying to think.  She should think about nothing but getting Miroku back.  That was what she wanted most.  She needed to concentrate, so that she would get caught in the deceptive words of the Sorceress….

           "I don't like you one little bit," a voice said.  Sango jumped and turned.  The Sorceress was standing right behind her.  She was once again a voluptuous young blonde.  But she was more muscular, built well enough that she could have been a knight as well.  Her blonde hair was cut short, so that if it came to physical blows, all the lustrous hair Miroku liked would not get mussed up.  Her pert mouth looked sour.  "I don't like you at all."

            "Believe me," Sango snorted.  "The feeling's mutual.  So, what deal did you make with Miroku?"

            "That's none of your business!" She crossed her arms and held her chin up stubbornly.  "I do not talk about my investments or agreements with outsiders.  I have a strict rule of confidentiality."

            She arched an eyebrow.  "Oh.  I see.  So you're an evil demon, but you don't go bragging about all of your illusions, deceptions, or innocent people you caught in your web."  She nodded.  "Yes, that makes perfect sense. Well, do I at least get to talk with my fiancé to make sure that he is, in fact, okay?"

            The Sorceress waved her hand, and suddenly Miroku was before her.  He looked around in confusion and then vanished again.  The butterfly demon was smiling, but Sango was quite unhappy.  "That was hardly fair.  It could have been an illusion for all I know!  As I said, I want a chance to talk with my husband, not to catch a glimpse of him.  Otherwise, you might very well have eaten him and so…. So…."

            She looked around and found herself in a room with only one door and a single window.  And there was a man facing away from him.  Sango jumped on him, kissing his cheek.  She didn't need to register the robes, or see the little ponytail of hair at the base of his neck to know that it was her fiancé.  "Miroku!  You stupid pervert!  I was so worried about you!"

            She clung to him tightly, and she felt his hands slowly roam over her wet cheeks.  His breath caught in his throat.  With gentle fingers, he lifted her head from where she had buried it in his neck, and tilted his head to look at her.  "Sango?"  His voice sounded hollow, and he was scared.  What if this was just another of the Sorceress' tricks?  Her skin felt familiar, the heat coming off her red cheeks, the sound of her crying, even though it had been years since he had heard it….

            Then she opened her eyes.  The Sorceress had been able to duplicate the color, but never the warmth in them.  He let out his captured breath as he pulled her around to him and wrapped his arms around her.  "Sango!"  He was able to say her name before he crushed his lips to hers, and she melted in his arms.

            Satisfied and still craving more of him, she pushed him away far enough so that he couldn't kiss her and cut off her questions.  "Miroku, I don't know how long we have.  Are you all right?"

            "I am now that my lady knight has come to save me."

            "Stop flirting with me," she rolled her eyes, unable to keep from smiling.  "Okay.  Miroku, how did she capture you?  I need to know so that I know how to stop her."

            "She healed my hand for me," he admitted and held it out for her to see.  He heard her gasp, and when she gently touched the palm of his hand, he wanted to ask her The Question again.  If she said yes, he was going to take her right then and there!  "In return, she said that she wanted my hand for whatever there was to do around the house.  What I didn't know was that what she wanted was a husband."

            Sango stared at him.  "What a minute, somebody actually wanted you to be the father of their kids?"  She laughed when the hand she wasn't holding tickled her.  "Miroku, you still have your prayers beads, right?  Good.  Put them back on, just in case.  If this works out like I think it will, it will mean that the hole will be back.  So…."  She winced, hardly able to believe what she was going to be saying.  "Miroku… touch my ass."

            "Pardon?!"  

Apparently he didn't believe what she was saying either.  She sighed, and put his hand where she wanted it.  Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against him, enjoying the warmth and comfort he bore so easily.  "Look, monk, if I bargain with her, we have no guarantee that she won't reopen the wind tunnel, right?  And I'm going to be the one to undo this, then you might as well rub my ass with that palm while you still have it, right?"

Miroku sighed happily and closed his eyes.  "Sango, my love, you have no idea of the gift you're giving me," he said as he did just as she had asked.  And without risk of reprimanding, it was all the sweeter. She was willingly letting him touch her buttock.  It was almost as good as having children.

She bit back a sigh of her own.  With those beads gone, his hands were quite smooth.  And he really was rather gentle…  just moving about in little circles and putting enough pressure on so that…. Then he pinched her.  Miroku laughed as she pulled away, and was about to take a rather hard slap quite lovingly when she disappeared.

Reappearing in the kitchen, she found the Sorceress sporting a cocky smile that even Inuyasha would have trouble exceeding.  The blonde woman snorted.  "Do you actually think that I would allow you to damage my sexy monk?  What do you think of my handiwork?"

"Is it real, or is his palm just an illusion?" Sango demanded.  

"Oh, it's quite real.  You live as long as I have, and you pick up a few tricks."

"Hmph!  And no business sense!" Sango snorted.  "Your victims must have been pretty stupid to fall for tricks like that.  Miroku's quite intelligent, but shove a derriere like that in his face, and he'll forget his own name.  You see, Sorceress, your contract with Miroku is null and void.  His hand was never his to give away.  He's my fiancé, therefore off the market and belonging to me!"

The Sorceress stared at her.  She had been hoping that the answer to her puzzle would be obvious enough that people would automatically skip over it.  But Sango had gotten it. The Sorceress smirked, and snapped her fingers.  "The hole is back.  I renounce any claim I held over him.  His hand and all his perversion are yours again.  But… he's still hidden away up at the top of my tower, so while you might claim him, I'm the one who really has him."

Sango glared at the demon.  That was an underhanded trick.  She had seen it coming a long time ago.  "So what?  I take it you're going to propose a trade?"

"Perhaps," the Sorceress purred.  "I have something you want, the question is, what do you have that I want?"

With a snort of disgust, she put a hand on the hilt of her sword.  "How about the fact that if you let him go, I might spare your life."

Laughing out loud, the Sorceress snapped her fingers and suddenly the sword hilt was gone from underneath her hand.  It had vanished into thin air, and Sango was certain it wasn't an illusion.  The Sorceress collapsed lazily into a chair.  "Now that that's taken care of, we can really get down to business.  There many things that you could offer up to me: the role of body guard, being my maid…. I could sustain your life for a century or two, and his as well, and after two hundred years of service for me, you two would be able to spend a little bit of time together before your bodies gave out from exhaustion.  But there's only one thing I really want, and that is the same thing I wanted from Miroku.  Children."

"Um…. In case you haven't noticed two girls can't…. ew!"  Her nose wrinkled in disgust.  "Are you actually able to turn yourself into a man that well?"

"Sadly, no.  But…. Miroku is a man, and you will one day be his wife.  He wants a son… so give me your first born daughter."

Her jaw dropped, horrified.  Then her brown eyes flared to life and she clamped her shocked jaw shut.  "Never!  How can you even suggest that?"

The Sorceress leaned up in her chair.  Even mad she still looked beautiful.  "Come now!  You're how old?  If you really wanted children that badly, you could have accepted his offer long ago and followed through on it by now!  What do you know of raising children?  You were taught to live and die by that damned sword of yours!  That's not how children should grow up!  You need to love them, and nurture them and…."

"And I will.  You're right.  I don't know a lot about raising children, but most parents don't.  They raise them all differently, which is why there are so many different people, like a girl who wants to become a knight, or a monk obsessed with touching the opposite sex.  And my children will be just as much as an individual as we are."  Her gaze lessened slightly.  "If you promise me my husband back, I will help you try and find somebody who will help you bear your children.  But… I get Miroku  back first."

Her blue eyes widened respectfully.  "You would really do that for me?"

"Yes, I would.  I know how much Miroku wants kids, and you want them just as much, don't you?  So I'll help you. But so long as I'm looking, you can't go trying to force people, understand?"

She nodded, and then crossed her arms.  Sango was beginning to notice that her mood swings seemed rather childish.  "Then I accept.  But… I get to come with you people!  I mean, you don't know what type of man I want!  I won't get in you way, and I can take care of myself.  I… I could transform myself into something!  Something that you can carry around or something!  Then, whenever you want my opinion on a man, I'm right there to tell you my thoughts!  I can… I could turn into a starfish!"

The knight blinked, and then smiled.  She stuck out her hand, and they shook, making it official.  Sango was going to have to play matchmaker!  With a snap of her fingers, Miroku appeared, and the Sorceress reappeared as a starfish…. On Sango's right breast.  She glared at the transformed demon.  "I didn't know that you were going to be riding there!" she hollered.

Miroku stared at her a second and then grinned.  "It's a good look for you.  So…. Did she have to change it back?" he inquired, looking own at his hand.  "I was going to open it, but…. but I didn't want to accidentally suck up my room."

His brief pause indicated that he was lying.  Sango smiled at him gently.  She knew exactly why he hadn't opened it up.  He was afraid that he was going to find the whole reopened, after he had just worked hard at trying to get rid of it.  She slid her hand into his.  "I don't care how many holes you have," she told him, making him smile in return.  "I love you just the way you are."

"You know, I started this whole thing because I wanted to try and find a way for me to be with you and not have to worry that one day you would catch Dread Pirate Roberts.  I guess I got a little carried away."

"No, you didn't.  And… and I think that you just gave me a wonderful idea Miroku."

He arched an eyebrow, his hand going down to rub the curve of her cheek.  "Is this the idea you had in mind?"  He sighed dramatically.  "Ah, Sango, you have no idea how much I missed you."

She slapped him, and glared.  "Are you talking to me or my ass?"

Chuckling, he pulled her close.  "To both of you, of course.  Your posterior was what caught my eye in the first place, but it was you that I fell in love with, and that makes feeling it now so much more exciting and enchanting.  My soul is content to be with yours… and as for my body…."  His grip tightened enough so that he could tilt her over without losing her.  Instead of finishing his thought, he let his lips do the talking and kissed her deeply.  She gave a muffled protest before she wrapped her arms around him, starting to pull at his clothes before she even realized it.

"Miroku," she purred as she pulled away.  "I want you.  Now."

His dark eyes darkened even more, and he looked at her so intently that her teeth could have begun to chatter.  When Kagome had pointed out to her that Miroku was a fine looking man, she had only smiled and said 'I know'.  But after seeing him look at her like that, she didn't think that she would ever be able to agree without drooling.  Then she felt his hands starting to under the clasps of her armor and she realized her mistake.

"Not that way!"  He looked hurt, and she softened her gaze.  Then she nuzzled his chin, trying to soften her harsh response.  "Kagome and the others are outside waiting for us.  We can't keep them waiting…."

"All I need is five minutes!" he pointed out.  She lifted her head and gave him a pointed look; the 'I don't believe you' kind.  Miroku grinned lecherously and began to explain.  "Give me five minutes and I will rip off your clothes, and have you pinned up against the wall -or on the floor, it's your call- so quickly that you won't realize that you're half way to cloud nine until you feel…."

The starfish coughed.  _Hello?  I am still here, you know.  I can hear everything you're saying.  I would prefer to not be thrown down on the floor and squished, thank you._

Sango was now glaring at Miroku, again.  "If you really need sex that badly, then wait until tonight and we can take longer than five pathetic minutes.  I meant that I want to get married. The next chapel we come to, let's do it."

"Do it on sacred ground?  Sango, I think you've been hanging around me too long."

"I meant get married."

"I'm well aware of that."

"The least you could have done is given me pillow."

"Would you prefer the wall?"

"It would be something different."

SLAM!

"A bit aggressive aren't we… hmph…..mmmmm….."

And precisely five minutes later…..

"So that was what you can do in five minutes, is it?"

"Six minutes is even better."

"…..Do you think that you can manage to keep standing for six more minutes?"


	7. The Perfect Existentialist

AN:  Only one more essay to write, and one more mid term.  Yeah, I so totally should have been studying, but I have been feeling slightly depressed lately, so I plugged in some happy music (yeah for soundtracks) and sat down for… um…. 6 hours and wrote two chapters of my Inuyasha fan fic.  Two whole chapters of fluff does make things better.  *nods*  And, oddly enough, I wrote this chapter about two months ago… before school started getting to me.  Thank God.  If I had to write this now, I probably would have had to go through my entire Coca Cola collection to get it done and still feel slightly okay.

And after I upload, I will further procrastinate from Thursday's mid term by going and reading more fanfics.  I really should study…. Oh well.  Wait… Mom is going to kill me for not getting a good mark…. Honestly!  I'm in University!  When will she clue in that a 70 or so in University is actually a _good_ thing?

Ah, enough complaining!

Lily: *giggles*  I love Miroku. Hoorah for intelligent comic relief that also happens to be a bishie!  And don't be ashamed of the Barbie doll thing.  I do the same thing.  Honestly, seeing things help.  Why else would math tell you to draw diagrams?

Driver Liz: Plot twists are my middle name!  What until you see what else I have cooking!!

Kiyoushi:  I can't sign into AIM.  So…. Hence why I haven't been on in so long. Gomen.

Mybyrdy-chan: Conclusion to the witch? Mwa ha!!  If only.  I've grown to fond of her.  So she may help out a bit now and then.  Plus… Sango has to find someone for her, doesn't she? ^_^  Poor Sango getting to play Matchmaker.  She needs another Miroku for the Sorceress, that's what she needs!  I think I had the wrong name with the starfish thing though….  Oh well  Fairy godmothers, no…. but I did get a take off of the seven dwarves in the next chapter.  As well as Kouga, in tights, because you asked so nicely.  ^^

Hm… note to self: more leg jokes with Kouga in tights.

I think that's everything!  I could have sworn there was something else… oh well!  Enjoy!  Oh, and if he Inuyasha scene at the end of the chapter confuses you… don't worry.  It's supposed to be that way.  The poor boy is getting brainwashed after all!

Chapter 7: The Perfect Existentialist

            Sango was smiling like a teenager in love –although she was rather sore- as she emerged with her fiancé in tow and a starfish flat on her head.  She smiled at Kagome, and the couple explained everything as they walked along with the young priestess.  Sango felt the wind brush her hair, and smiled.  The wind had given her some comfort over the past few days, while Miroku was missing, as she was reminded of his love for her each time she felt Aelous' sweet breath on her face, but now she had the real thing back.

            The younger girl blushed slightly as she looked up at the starfish.  "I'm sorry if I hurt your hand when I grabbed you. If you like, I can fix it."

            _That won't be necessary_, the starfish replied.  _But thank you anyway.  Miroku did say that you were a sweet person, and I can see that he was right_.

            The monk slowly fell behind the others, and Sango smiled knowingly.  "Miroku, stop staring at my ass."  Then she glanced over her shoulder and realized that his eyes were somewhere else.  "Kagome?  What the hell?  You lecherous monk!"  She slapped him harshly a few times before she stomped off.  "Stupid cheating monk!  I take it all back!  I don't want to get married to you!  If you like looking at her butt so much, then marry her!  I'll take Inuyasha, and she can have the Dread Pirate Roberts!"

            Grinning wildly, Miroku excused himself and ran after Sango, making a big spectacle of a staged affair, something Sango had cooked up to give them a chance to flirt, him a chance to check up on the other girl, and for Kagome to laugh.  Kagome was actually an amazing shade of red, but the couple did manage to get out a giggle from her when they pinned her down to the ground and tickled her.

            Shippo jumped on Miroku as soon as they emerged from the Sorceress' forest, and began to beat him with his tiny fists.  "You stupid thief!"

            The man in question sighed, not even bothering to pull the small fox demon off of his head.  "Why is everyone calling me stupid today?"

            "Because you are one!"  Shippo cried, his green eyes looking like he was ready to burst into tears of relief.  Miroku smiled up at gently.  The demon climbed off of his head and unto his shoulder, where he buried his face in Miroku's robes.  "How could you go off and leave everybody without a note or a word of where you were going?  Don't you know how worried you made Sango?"

            Looking up from the small demon buried against his chest, he found Sango blushing, his gaze holding promises of what he was going to do to apologize to her as only he was allowed.  Slowly, his face melted to look sad.  "Yes, I do know how scared I made her.  But Sango's stronger than that.  She's a knight, after all.  Do you really think that my absence would affect her so badly that she couldn't continue doping her duty to the crown?"

           His words were lost on the little boy, who was already fast asleep in his arms, a tear still clinging to his chubby cheek.  Seeing this, the transformed butterfly demon raised an arm off of Sango's head.  _My house has enough beds for you all.  Why don't you spend the night there?_  They looked up at her, rather surprised.  The Sorceress sighed.  _Well, we won't be able to get very far tonight.  The forest is full of dangers, so we would have to fight our way to wherever it is we're going.  Ah, where are we going, anyway?_

            The smile that Sango and Miroku had so carefully planned at creating on Kagome's face faded away.  Sango had her fiancé back, but where was hers?  She hung her head, her black hair hiding her worried face.  She didn't want to rain on Sango and Miroku's parade.  "We don't really know where we're going next.  So maybe we should leave tonight.  Besides, we can't enter your forest now, can we?  Only desperate people can go in there, right?"

            _What?  Oh!  _That_!_  She laughed childishly.  _That's just a spell I have up to protect my butterflies from predators and keep my woods safe and keep out annoying men.  You know?  The kind that are like Miroku?  Men flock from far and wide to see my exquisite beauty, and it gets rather annoying after awhile.  They are all grubby handed and have no real awe for my talents, just for my body.  That's why I wanted Miroku.  He's sexy, and strong, and different than all the rest.  Come now, let's start walking._

            They began to walk back to castle, Miroku holding Shippo in one hand and his other one holding Sango's.  Kirara walked with them, and Kagome leaned on the large cat gently.  She was worn out, and frankly, the talking Sorceress was making her feel more tired.  Was she actually comparing the lecherous monk to other males and saying that he was better because he wasn't superficial?  Well, maybe he wasn't superficial, but he was certainly perverse.

            As if she knew what was going on inside Kagome's head, the Sorceress laughed again.  _Oh yes, I realize he's a hop, skip, and a jump away from being a nymphomaniac, but he's a decent man.  He cares about making you feel good in sex, not just about himself.  And he may like to feel one's butt, but he's always gentle while doing so.  It's all about the love, with Miroku._

            Miroku was beaming proudly.  Damn straight it was all about the love!  Sex was a goddamn art, that's what it was!  Sango, on the other hand, arched an eyebrow and allowed Miroku to lead her along as she glanced up at the starfish, even if she couldn't see the aquatic creature.  "Pardon me, but how do you know this?  You two didn't…. I mean, I've known Miroku since we were little kids.  I'd have known if he'd gotten laid."

            Nodding, Miroku agreed, snickering.  "You did the first time.  And the second time and the third time… Somehow you always manage to perceive the dopey after sex grin even if I don't have it on."

            _I told you, Miroku.  I was watching you_.

            As Sango muttered obscenities, Miroku tried to remember what it was about watching that sparked a mental note he had made.  However, he didn't remember what it was until the Sorceress had whipped up beds and blankets for them and he was wrapping his arm around Sango when he felt something cold and hard press into his chest.  'Right.  The mirror.'  He unwound his arms, and slipped out of bed.

            Sango yawned and stretched like a large cat, capturing a pillow in between her arms and watching him.  She looked ready to pounce him.  He felt the same way, and could barely believe that he was out about to walk out on her after he had her back finally, but this had to come first.

            "Where are you going?"

            "Kagome."  He realized his mistake when his pillow slammed into the back of his head.  He turned and threw the pillow back at Sango gently.  "I need to give her something."  The pillow hit him again and this time he threw it back harder, knowing that it was probably going to create a pillow fight.  "I'll be back in a second."

            She grinned and sat up slightly in bed.  Watching her hair spill over her shoulder, he wanted to play with it, and didn't want to leave, but this was his friend he was talking about.  He had to leave.  Miroku sighed, and then perked up, a twinkle in his dark eye.  "Don't worry so much about it, Sango.  I'm going to return in a jiffy.  And then…."  From the look on her face, he could tell that she expecting one of his legendary remarks that made ladies swoon and willing to give up their jewels just to please him.  "Then I want to braid your hair."

            This time she threw her belt at him.

            Miroku ducked and went on his way.  He sat down on the edge of Kagome's bed, and poked the larger of the two lumps curled under the covers.  "Kagome?  Kagome, wake up will you?  I want to talk."

            Underneath the covers, Kagome muttered curses.  'Men!  They're so… mannish!'  What disturbed her was how much he sounded like Inuyasha at that moment.  Usually Miroku was slightly easier going, preferring to see if she was sleeping first, and then ask her to wake up if he knew she was feigning sleep.  He wouldn't demand outright for her to wake up unless it was something important.   'So I suppose that means I should wake up,' she told herself.

            Sitting up and rubbing her red eyes, she stared at him.  Hopefully he wouldn't ask why she was red eyed.  Kagome didn't particularly feel like telling him that she hadn't slept a wink wince Inuyasha had disappeared and that now it was starting to take its toll.  "What the hell do you want, Miroku?" she asked quietly, trying not to disturb the sleeping fox spirit beside her.

            He frowned, or almost managed to.  A teasing smile kept slipping out.  "Aw.  Speak to me like that, Kagome, and I won't give you want I want to give you."

            "This isn't some kind of a pervert thing, is it?" she demanded, her voice growing up a note.

            "Hardly.  I know about Inuyasha's predicament, about how you can't find him.  I know where he is.  The Sorceress gave me this.  I used it to watch Sango.  She told me that Sango would give up on me and I was meant to watch and turn to the Sorceress in my plight, but it turned out to be a great boon, because it allowed me to find Inuyasha."  He produced the mirror as if by magic, and pressed it into her shaking hands.  "So you can use it too.  Good night, Kagome."

            Miroku disappeared after that, as stealthily as he had appeared, and so fast that Kagome didn't have time to register about watching Sango and smack him for it.  She stared at the silver mirror in her hands.  To see Inuyasha again!  To find out where he was!

           Kirara nudged her elbow.  Kagome nodded, and they slid off the bed, moving to a less crowded region of the house.  Miroku hadn't explained how to make it work, but Kagome bet she knew how.  "Pay close attention, Kirara.  This is the route that we'll be taking tomorrow.  Show me Inuyasha!"

            The mirror blazed to life, nearly blinding them in the dark kitchen.  The scenes flew by, and Kirara memorized them.  When the pictures stopped shifting, it simply showed Inuyasha, laying on a slab of rock and not moving.  Fear clutched at Kagome.  Was she too late?  Had the poison worked already?  Then his hand clenched, and she let out a sigh of relief.  No, he was still alive.

            Her gaze softened as she looked at him.  That was her Inuyasha all right.  The twitching puppy ears, the silver hair, the curling lip revealing the tip of his fang.  She clutched the mirror to her chest, wishing that she could hear him.  'I miss you.  I'm coming for you tomorrow, Inuyasha.  I'm going to save you.'

            Then it hit her.  Why not leave now?  She had a way to get there.  She had her bow and arrow.  She had her Priestess powers, and Kirara could see in the dark.  Surely they could leave now!  Two people could surely avoid the monsters that the Sorceress had spoke of!

            She stood up, and went to retrieve her bags, working in the light of the glowing mirror.  But it wasn't enough, and she tripped, the contents of her bag spilling on the floor.  The blanket glittered in the slanting light of the sun.  Her sleeplessness had produced something good, at least.  The blanket was almost done.  Only another night, and the last stitches would be in.

            Kagome sighed and picked it up, laying the mirror on her lap so she could watch over him protectively as she worked away on the tiny loom, sewing it square by square and then stitching the squares together.  It had been stupid to think of going by herself and Kirara.  Getting herself killed wouldn't help Inuyasha.  She watched as his brows furrowed and now and then his mouth opened and closed, as if calling out a name.  Kagome was ready to throw aside her loom and take off again when she realized one of the names he was calling was her own.

            'Hang in there, Inuyasha!  As soon as dawn comes, I'm going to fly to your side.  I swear I will.'

            First, there was love, and all the things that came with it: acceptance, sharing, joy, warm kisses and gentle touches.

            Then there was simple companionship.  Friends hugging you, offering cold drinks on hot days, a kind word from an older sibling, and childish laughter.

            That was followed by interrupted moments, where kisses were interrupted by knocks on doors, Miroku's wisecracks, or war interrupting a family moment.

           Then there was loneliness.  Inuyasha's body had trembled when he reached that stage, shaking from an inhuman cold.  He remembered standing at the grave of his mother, wondering why she couldn't return.  He remembered watching as his father was buried and looking up at Sesshomaru, the only family member he had left, and wondering why Sesshomaru turned away from him to leave him there, as if he should have been buried as well.  He remembered staring up at the sky and wondered why he couldn't be loved.

            Except he couldn't remember.  What was this love he wanted so badly?  What was this thing called acceptance?  He was Inuyasha, half demon.  It was impossible for him to be anything but rejected.  No one would admire him the way they did his brother, because he was weak. He was half human.  He deserved to be alone.  He was a mutt.  He was worthless.

            Which led into the deadliest of the poison, the final two stages.  The first was fear, destroying all memory of the things he cherished, the people he loved.

            _Kagome turned on him, looking beautiful in a blood red dress.  "What do you mean I'm supposed to marry you?  I was told I was supposed to marry a demon!  You're not a demon, you're just a flea infested stray!  A mutt!  I had to touch you to save myself when we were traveling together, do you actually think I'm going to do that to you now, to hold you close allow your filth to touch me?"_

But, Kagome,_ he heard himself say, his voice confused, and yet, not spoken.  _Kagome, you showed me everything good in the world.  You played with my ears, for hell's sake!  You were warm, and…

            **What is warm?__**

****Suddenly, Inuyasha had no concept of warmth.  There was only cold.

            _He reached out to grab her, and her skin felt hot to the touch.  There was no warmth, but there was burning.  And hurt.   He hurt when he touched Kagome.  She looked disgusted with herself, clutching the area he had touched.  "Don't do that again!  I'm a Priestess!  I'm beyond something like you!"_

**A Priestess.****  Priestesses hurt.**

No.  NO.  Kagome isn't like this.

            _The scene changed, the words still ringing in his mind, like his hand still burned.  Priestesses hurt.  He still refused to believe it, when he felt his knees hit something soft.  He opened his eyes, a growl escaping his throat, and he found himself on all fours on his bed.  Kagome was under him, her skin exposed to his.  Her head tilted to the side, her dark hair hiding her face, exposing her neck to him.  Inuyasha leaned down, his lips hovering over the tender skin, his ears twitching as her heart her heart pound wildly._

**Priestesses hurt.  She'll burn you.**

 _His lips brushed her neck, and it did burn, but it felt good.  And it wasn't his lips that burned, but the rest of him.  She smelled good.  He smelled her, his nose brushing her wavy hair.  She smelled really good.  His tongue licked her neck once, quickly, experimentally.   She tasted good too._

_            "Inuyasha?"_

_            "Shut up."_

Is… is that supposed to be me talking to her?

            _He stepped away from the big picture, but he could still feel everything.  He could still feel her hair on his cheek and he tasted her, feel her tender skin bruising under his fingers and he turned her to look at him and he licked away a tear running down her cheek._

_            "Don't do this," she begged._

_            "You said you wanted me," he ruthlessly pointed out, letting her blood slide down his throat as he bit her, as many demons did to each other during sex.  Except that he did it to her hear gasp and rub her body against his as she tried to relieve the sting of pain._

_            "But it hurts."_

_            He tried to turn away from it, tried not to watch and feel as he silenced her with one sided kisses and stole everything that made her a priestess from her.  And still she burned him._

I wouldn't do that, not if she didn't want me to!  I love Kagome!  I'm not going to hurt her!

            **What is love?**__

Love, is….

            **She said she hated you earlier.  But she had to obey her Queen, so she stayed with you.  And you hate her for it, making her hate you even more for it.**

_The scene changed again, and he heard his feet lightly touch on the floor.  He pushed open the door to the bedroom, and found Kagome standing in her room, watching out the window and wearing a red kimono.  The fabric was silk, but he could see the stitches that marked the tears she had mended.  Her face was drawn tied, and her bun revealed bruises on her neck and fang marks.  Slowly, she turned to face him, and turned away._

_            He felt anger in his chest.  How dare she turn away from him?  His ears swiveled to the sound of a silk belt being undone, and he watched as it slid to the floor.  Her back was covered in claw marks, some fresher the others and some so deep they were scarred._

I did this?

            _Kagome said nothing in return.  She glanced over her shoulder at him, sitting on the bed.  She looked dead.  Her eyes were void of emotion.  This wasn't his Kagome.  Where was the fire that he loved about her?  Where was the smiles that made him feel like he really was a prince, or the shining joy that she found just from the fact that he had puppy ears which were as fluffy as anything?_

**You broke her.**  **You took her, and mated with her, and broke her.  She passed like a possession from the Queen to you, and she is yours now.  She does only what you tell her.  She doesn't think anymore.  You broke her.**

I would never do that.

            **Why?**

Because I… I… There was a reason why I wasn't going to do it.

            **You were going to say it was because you love her.  But what is this love?  Have you ever felt it before?  Can you remember what love looks like?**

Well…. No….

            **Has anyone ever shown you love?**

I… I don't think so.

            **Then is it possible that love is imaginary? Like warmth?  Like acceptance?  Like family?  Something you came up with to keep yourself company, to keep yourself from being lonely?**

Maybe….

            **And that is why you will hurt Kagome.  Because that's all you know how to do.  Hurt Kagome.**

_Broken eyes…_

**Hurt her a lot.**

_Scars on her back from his claws…_

**And do you know why you hurt her?**

No. Why do I hurt her?  Do I like it?  Do I do it to make her as miserable as I do, knowing that she stayed with me because she was forced to?

            **Precisely.****  It's because you're weak.  You can't be man enough to accept the truth, so you have to lash out at people.**

This doesn't make any sense at all.  I'm not weak.  I can fight!  I capture criminals!  I'm not weak!  How can I be weak?  How can I possible be weak?

            **Weakness doesn't have to be a physical thing.  You aren't weak physically, Inuyasha.  You are weak because you are hollow.  You have no emotions, except for bitterness and anger.  You can't love; it isn't real.  You are shunned by society, and so shun others.  Life is one big revenge for you, about hurting as many people as you can.  Like your mother.  Like your father.  Like Sesshomaru.  Like Kagome.**

No! I….

            **Do you even remember what you look like?**

            Yes.  I have gold eyes, and fangs, and silver hair, and puppy ears that Kagome likes to play with…

            **Has she ever played with them?  Can you remember her touching you like that, as if she enjoyed it?  No, you can't.  Because she never did.  Once, she fought back, and she pulled them.  That was the only time she ever touched you.  Would you like to see what you look like, deep down, Inuyasha?**

No….

            _But there he was, looking in a mirror.  His hair was matted.  His ears were pulled back just like his lips were, exposing sharp fangs shining with saliva, as if he were a rabid dog.  His eyes glowed red, as red as the blood on his jacket.  His claws were tapered to an impossible sharp point, dripping with blood._

No.

            **Want to guess whose blood it is?**

Dear Lord, no… not Kagome…..

            **What is this Lord?  Don't you understand?  You're alone.  You are bitter.  You are disgusting.  You are nothing.  You are one of the Hollow Men.**

I'm Inuyasha.

            **You're nothing.**

I am…  who am I?  I had it a moment ago…

            **You are bitter.**

Because I hate the world.

            **You are nothing.**

Because I'm all alone.

            **You are weak.**

Because I hurt people.

            **What is love?**

Nothing.

            **What is Kagome?**

Nothing.

            **What is companionship?  What is acceptance?  What is intimacy?  What is congratulations?  What is warmth?  What is good?  What is soft?  What is beauty?  What is family?  What is God?  What is duty?  What is power?  What is protection?**

Nothing.

            **What is Inuyasha?**

Nothing.


	8. The Spider's Parlor

AN: Well, I've had some trouble with my internet lately.  Some being an understatement.  Honestly, not being able to talk to people bothers to me to no extent.  Oh well.  You would think it gives me more time for homework or writing fanfics, but it really doesn't.  Instead I sit here in front of Cuddles (who now has a Proudheart cat from the Care Bear Cousins sitting on top of her head.) trying to find a way to talk to people and new curses for my AIM when it fails.

Lily: It's a well known fact that revenge is a perfect form of closure.  Look at all the famous people who wanted it: Captain Hook, Naraku, Ryoga Hibiki, Belladonna, Harry Osborne, Treaty of Versailles, Hamlet…. Wait…. Um…. Given the fact that most of those people died or resulted in bigger trouble than was needed, never mind.

Liz:  True true. But I strongly believe it is possible to make something out of nothing.  And Inuyasha's on tonight up here in Ontario.  Woot woot!!

Ilvan: I still claim that I can't write fight scenes.

Oh yes, if you can think of any plot hole or a cliché in the Sango and Miroku relationship (not this one, their relationship in general, and a plot hole/cliché being like…. How everyone seems to think that Miroku likes being hit) then please, let me know.  I need some more for the next fic I have in the works. ^^

Enjoy!

Chapter 8: The Spider's Parlor 

            Five minutes after dawn, they started off on the way.  Shippo and Kagome rode Kirara, the woman sitting in the front and guiding them on with the mirror.  Behind them, the Sorcess had changed into a giant roc and carried Sango and Miroku.  Kagome clenched the mirror tightly.  Something horrible was happening to Inuyasha.

            Well, that had been a given from the start of the story.

            The poison her fiance had been infected with was working faster on him.  Kagome had sewn the last pieces of the blanket together when she nodded off for all of half an hour before the rays of sunlight woke her up.  She looked at the mirror and had found that Inuyasha was paler than he had been last night, and he seemed to have trouble breathing.  His dark brows accentuated his stubborn expression, allowing her to cling to some kind of hope.  Whatever it was that was giving him trouble, at least he was fighting it.

            Kagome glanced down again, worry nipping away at her.  He looked relaxed now.  Had he given into whatever he had previously been fighting?  Had her brave, stubborn, valiant Inuyasha given into the poison?  NO…  he couldn't have…

            **Why are you still fighting me?**

            Oh, well, at least fighting exists in this world.

            **Was that sarcasm?**

            Does sarcasm exist here too?

            **Yup, it was sarcasm.  Listen, you hate the world, right?**

Yes.

            **Then why don't you let your misery end.  One last breath, and let it all go.  You can be free.  You can let go of all that hate, and move on.**

            Move on to what?

            **To whatever you want.**

            What I want doesn't exist, so I can't move on.

            **…**

Besides, I can't move on until I see Kagome again.  Of all the people I wanted to hurt in life, she shouldn't have been one of them.  I hated her because she stayed with me out of duty?  I also could have said no.  I could have said it.  But I didn't.  I was tied to my duty as much as she was to hers.  I shouldn't have hurt her.  So I want to apologize.  I want to hear her say that she forgives me.  I won't leave until she does.

            **What is this forgiveness?**

            It's nothing.  It's nothing but words, and they have no weight.  They're borne on air, after all.

            **Then why do you want it?**

            Because it means something to me.

            She didn't recognize the village.  She had never gotten to see the village, after all. It was a bustling village, everyone knowing and talking to everyone else.  Had Kagome passed through it on her way to find Inuyasha, she never would have thought that such a happy looking place could hide her beloved.  Thank God for the magic mirror!  She glanced down, making sure she had the right building.  Yup.  'Yura's'.  Kagome stuck the mirror in her back pocket.  

            "This is it."  She pushed the door open and stepped inside.  The atmosphere inside the diner was just as active as the streets, but as the door shut behind Miroku, everyone stopped talking, staring at them.  Of course, they made an odd crew: a small cat demon and a fox cub, two human women and a monk, and a starfish.  She glanced around, wondering who was in charge, when a woman charged her.

            And ran right passed her to barrel through Sango and grab Miroku around his shoulders.  "Houshi!  You came back to me!  I knew you would!"

            Sango crossed her arms and glared at him. "Houshi-sama… who the hell is she?"

            Leaving the couple to their fight, Kagome slipped behind the bar.  A hand slamming down on the bar, startling her.  "Hey!  Girl!  You can't go back there!  Who the hell are you that you think you can go back to Yura's domain like that?"

           She slowly turned on the male demon yelling at her, her face as impassive as Inuyasha's.  "I'm looking for somebody.  It's really none of your business.  You can leave me be, or you can try and bud in some more."  She let the power of a Priestess flow around her, as hot as fire to the demon.  "So this is when you ask yourself: do you really feel like tangling with a Priestess today, and a knight, and a monk?  Do you think you can really stop me?  I have enough power to destroy this whole town and make it so uncorrupted that not even a holy man will be able to stand on this ground very long without feeling cloudy-minded and weak.  I suggest you leave me be."

            The man backed up and she made her voice louder.  "All of you, clear out!"  They peeled their eyes away from where Miroku was getting lectured by Sango to stare at the blazing girl behind the bar.  "I said, get out!  I don't want anybody getting hurt!  Yura took someone from me, and I'm getting him back!  So get out now and you won't accidentally be hurt."

            Everyone was silent, until the man that had tried to stop her whispered about her being a Priestess.  "A priestess?  Do you think she could be the one Prince Inuyasha is supposed to wed?"  "I can't imagine that there would be a lot of them running around the demon world, now would there?"  "If it is… does that mean that Prince Inuyasha is the one who went missing?"  "It would explain why he wasn't with her.  You know the stories say he's overprotective and everything."  "Unless they were all lies."  "Would Yura really be crazy enough to kidnap the prince?"

            Yes, yes, and yes.

            Slowly but surely, gossiping all the way, the demons cleared out of the diner.    Except for the seven small girls who worked there and the woman that was still hugging Miroku.  They stood in front of the bar, their tiny hands on their waist.  She knew what type of demons they were right away, by their nudity, small state, their course hair and oddly supple fingers.  Brownies.

            "We won't let you go!" cried out the one in the middle.

            "Yeah!" the others six chorused.

            The door opened again and Kagome glanced at it.  She smiled with relief.  "Kouga!"  The purging flames around Kagome disappeared.  Kagome hurried back over the counter top to run over to the wolf demon and give him a great bit bear hug, taking a sneak or two to notice once again that he really did have great legs.  She caught him by surprise, but soon he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her back warily, as if he was afraid Inuyasha was going to pop out at any second and clobber him   "What are you doing here?"

            "Dread Pirate Robert hasn't been seen a few days," the blue-eyed demon reported.  "Sesshomaru hopes he's dead.  I'm supposed to go through the forest and find him.  Sesshomaru would have sent Inuyasha, but he's also missing.  I don't suppose that you managed to put a leash on the mutt, Kagome?"

            She felt herself start to fall to pieces, but picked herself back up, standing on her own.  She wasn't going to start crying or leaning on Kouga now.  She could do just fine by herself.

            The woman hugging Miroku peeled herself off of him, giving Sango a chance to get a good strike in there, and she put her hands on her hips.  "What are you talking about, wolf boy?  You aristocrats are all crazy!  Robert isn't dead!  He's right here!"

            Sango pounced on the woman before she could blurt out that the monk she had been all but groping as she plastered against him was, in fact, the bandit Kouga sought.  She laughed nervously.  "Don't mind her.  She's crazy."

            Her fiancé placed a hand on Kouga's shoulder, and winked at Kagome and Sango. Miroku knew just what to do to get out of the hot water the two men were finding themselves in.  "Listen, Kouga, about the Pirate guy.  I may have heard one or two stories about where you can find him in my travels.  Why don't we go outside and talk about it?"  He smiled at his wife and helped her, his eyes slipping down to look down her armor from his high vantage point.  "Sango, let the nice woman up so that our Priestess won't accidentally hurt her when she purges this place down to the ground."

            Grumpily, Sango took his offered hand, squeezing it a bit tightly.  She stopped when she saw a wince dart behind Miroku's smiling face.  "No probably, monk."  She still hadn't let go of his hand, and now she pulled him close.  "Miroku, be careful."  Sango kissed him lightly, and was taken completely by surprise when he grabbed her waist with his free hand and pulled her tightly against him, allowing his tongue to slip between her willing lips and proceed to…

            Well, we all know what he proceeded to do.  Aren't the guys in fairy tales always supposed to be good kissers?

            "I'm always careful," he supplied with a wink.  He was about to leave, when he remembered the layout of the town.  Almost shyly, he reached to the back of his head and played with his tiny ponytail.  "Um… Sango?  There's a little chapel here, so if you really wanted to follow through on your proposition, afterwards…."

            Sango smiled patiently and patted his hand.  "I can wait until a better time," she said, her slipping eyes indicating Kagome as she battered with the brownies to let her get by.

            The knight ignored it as the woman followed Miroku and Kouga out of the tavern, complaining about what the chapel reference had meant.  Sango felt the starfish tap her head.  _Listen, I want to come with you just incase I'm needed.  I've never gotten in a shuffle before.  I want to see what it is that knights and priestesses do.  Besides, I've seen a few of your moves, and I think I can copy some of them.  But, afterwards, I demand you  arrange for me to meet this Kouga person_.  The voice stopped, as the Sorceress thought and sighed deeply.  _Please, I mean._

            "Certainly," Sango promised.  She pulled the Haraikotsu off of her back and stepped up beside her Priestess friend.  

Kagome was trying to get the Brownies to move.  She was failing.  They had called her bluff when she threatened to use her Priestess powers on them.  Kagome didn't want to hurt them; they weren't doing anything really bad, just blocking her way.  She was growing more and more agitated, her eyes getting more and more focused as her powers, once again loosed to threatened people, burned even brighter. 

Smiling gratefully at her friend, she held out a hand to get Sango to stop.  Kagome wanted to do this by herself.  No, she _could_ do it by herself.  It wasn't really a matter of pride, Kagome just wanted Sango to save her strength.  Kagome was going to go straight for Inuyasha, Sango would have to take care of anything else that showed up.  Kagome was so aware of Inuyasha's proximity to death that she was willing to kick the Brownies out of her way.

Getting so angry she was going to burst, that was just what Kagome did.  "Nothing is going to keep me from Inuyasha! Get out of my way!"  She kicked the brownies aside and bolted past them to the supply room they blocked. 

When the brownies reassembled and tried to run after her, the Sorceress intervened.  A roar made them all turn around, and a dragon the size of a large wild cat sat on the counter, eyeing them hungrily.  The brownies took one look at it, then at the knight and her boomerang and the sword in her side, and they ran away screaming.

"That was quite impressive," the knight complimented the Sorceress.

_Thank you.  I was quite proud of it myself._

Tracing the path of the magic mirror, Kagome headed straight to the bookcase.  "Can't these people think of a better place to hide a secret passage?" she demanded, trying to figure out how to open the bookcase.  The magic mirror, unfortunately, didn't show that.  Kagome didn't want to stay and figure it out. She smiled brightly as she began to push at the bookcase, trying to slide it over.  "Hey, Sango, remember how I told you earlier about how I should be able to feel him?  I do."  She laughed suddenly, giving up moving the bookcase and beginning to feel around it for a lever of some kind.  

"It's really weird though.  I don't know what is making me feel him.  I mean, I can kind of smell him, and hear him, and feel him physically, as if his hand were on my shoulder encouraging me, but that's utterly impossible, because he clearly isn't here.  Isn't that odd?"

Her hand touched the connection of the wall to the bookcase and she let out a tiny yelp.  There was a line of blood on her hand where she had touched it.  Kagome sucked on her hand.  It really hurt.  She shook her hand free of the blood, and made a note to tend to it later on.  "No wonder Kanna couldn't see into here!  It's warded with some heavily black magic stuff."

She ignored the sting of magic as she shoved her hand on the connection of wall and bookcase, throwing her magic into it.  The purity acted like a spark thrown into an ammunition shed.  The bookcase blasted off the wall and shattered into piece when it slammed into the opposite side of the room.  Sango and the Sorceress stared –although how the Sorceress could see without eyes was rather difficult to explain- and then applauded at the display.

Sango stopped clapping when she saw that Kagome's hand was dripping blood.  "Kagome!" she chided, looking around for a dishtowel to wrap the hand in.  When she turned back, Kagome was already running down the rocky stairwell.

"It's perfectly fine, Sango!  It doesn't hurt at all!"  That was a complete and total lie.  It hurt a lot, but there was only one driving force in her thoughts: Inuyasha.  It would hurt a lot more if something happened to him all because she was too slow in getting there.  'I should have purified those brownies to ashes!' she thought rebelliously.  Kagome shoved some cheerfulness in her voice.  "Besides, it would have happened anyway.  Karma, right?  I hurt the Sorceress, so now my hand is hurt.  What goes around comes around."  

She cracked her knuckled on her good hand, feeling much like her fiancé in the way her eyes were narrowed and her smile felt as if she were telling the world itself to do its damnedest.  "Yura is going to have a lot for what she did to my Inuyasha."

The two women and the starfish traveled down the rocky tunnel and were quickly lost in darkness.  They traveled the rest of the way down in pitch darkness, feeling ahead of them with feet.  Sango had her hand on one wall, Kagome on the other, so that they couldn't miss it if the tunnel divided.  Luckily, it stayed uniform.  It twisted and winded in a patter, each step the same distance from the other.  

When they neared the bottom of the staircase, and light filtered from around the corner, Kagome stopped.  Sango actually bumped into her.  Kagome needed to remind herself to breathe.  'Inuyasha!'  She could feel him!  Everything inside her was telling her that he was around the corner, and close to the end.  He wouldn't be able to hang on much longer.  She could feel his heartbeat echoing behind hers.  For every three beats of her racing heart, he had only one, and it was weak.

Without further hesitation, she once again took off, racing down the last of the rock steps to emerge in the cavern at the bottom.  Just as the mirror had showed her, Inuyasha lay there on a slab of marble.  His eyebrows were still knotted in determination, his skin as pale as the surface he lay on, and she could hear the small whimpers coming from his tight lips, as if he were nothing more than a helpless puppy being abused.

_Kagome! Wait!_

She saw it before it was too late.  The hairs were so fine she didn't see them until they were right in front of her nose.  She took a step back and gingerly touched one.  It sliced her fingers as if it had been made from diamond dust.  The touch shook the rest of the hairs, and she cursed herself for her stupidity.  They weren't hairs, it was a giant spider web.

"Sango," she said as her friend cautiously approached her, wondering why she had stopped, "give me your sword."

The knight, if somewhat reluctantly, handed over her sword.  Kagome tried to slice the spider web, but, to their surprise, the sword broke as it passed over the webbing.  The girls stared in shock.  Sango sadly picked up the rest of the blade and placed it back in her sheath.  Maybe her favorite sword was still fixable.

"I'm sorry, Sango."  As worried as Kagome was, she still had to apologize and felt bad about breaking the weapon.  Sango had used it since before she had even been knighted.  "I really am.  I wasn't thinking properly."

"No, it's alright.  It died well, at least, and it might be mended."  She sighed when she looked at the threads.  "I think we might need demon strength to break this.  Sorceress?"

_No, I don't have the nails for it.  Sorry._

Sango nodded.  "Kouga's still outside.  I'll go get him. Maybe he can…."

"No need," Kouga's voice said.  The girls glanced behind them to find Miroku and Kouga coming downstairs and looking around.  Both males sobered when they saw Inuyasha.  Kouga was shocked, furious that the demoness would do this.  Miroku was worried, and felt horrible for Kagome.  To be so close and so far from such a horrible sight….  "What do you need demon strength for?  To break these threads?" Kagome nodded.  Kouga sliced only a few times, and a path was clear for her.

Kagome rushed to Inuyasha's side and took his hand.  She gasped when it was as cold as ice.  "Inuyasha!"  She only wished she had thought this far ahead.  Kagome's hand that held the broken sword shook.  How was she supposed to do this?  If he were human, she would have purified the poison out of him, but there was a chance that she could accidentally purify the demon as well.  Then he would be just as dead.

"Aw," the dulcet voice came from the corner and everyone whirled to the sound.  Yura stood on one of the threads of the spider web, playing with more of it in her hands.  Watching it, Kagome realized her other mistakes.  It was hair, not webbing!  But it acted the same, and that meant that the moment she had touched the strand, Yura had felt the disturbances in her nest and she had come to see what had caused them.  "So you destroyed my nest.  You're sooner then I wanted.  He isn't quite dead yet.  That's so unfortunate.  I wanted it to make it look like he was sleeping and then watch you fall into despair.  Oh well.  I'll take much more pleasure in killing you last."

Kagome turned back to Inuyasha.  She placed the sword down and picked up the hem of his shirt with her good hand.  "Inuyasha!"

"He can't hear you, you stupid bitch," Yura snapped, made that this woman was bleeding all over her crypt.  "The _desperabat_ is working far too well for your voice to even touch his mind.  And even if it did, he wouldn't be able to hear what you really said, only what is deepest darkest fears wouldn't want you to say.  Shall I tell you of the things he's been whimpering in his deadly sleep?  There were apologies.  Oh so many apologies, most of them to you, because of his desire to take you all to himself and ruin your ability to be a Priestess.  Oh yes.  And he chattered as if he were cold.  Yes, yes.  And he said that he hated you.  That was my favorite."

"He… he hates me?" Kagome glanced down at Inuyasha.  It couldn't be true.  He wouldn't hate her.

Miroku was talking, telling her about the poison she had used as Kagome tried to think, registering everything Miroku told her.  Yura's cold eyes narrowed, and her webs –hair, Kagome reminded herself- flew around Miroku.  The monk just barely managed to raise some type of shield.  The fight was on.

"Don't worry, little Priestess.  I'll make you watch as I kill your friends."

She was ignoring everything.  Her friends could take care of themselves.  She needed to take care of Inuyasha.  Kagome first uttered a spell, shielding her and her loved one from any of Yura's attacks, although the demon was too busy with her three companions to really notice her.

Miroku's staff cut the female demon in half, and he let out a victory smile before he watched as the hair spun her back together.  He felt his mistake as she drew the short dagger she carried and stabbed it in his shoulder.

Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open.  His voice was hoarse.  He hadn't spoken it what felt like years.  He squeezed her hand.  "Kagome?"

She turned back to him, her eyes pouring tears of happiness, and she smiled.  "Inuyasha!  Oh, Inuyasha!  You came back all on your own!  I'm so happy!  You stupid, stupid demon!  You made mw so worried!"

"Kagome…."  His hand slowly fluttered up to her face, brushing her cheek and her nose, brushing hair away from her face.  Inuyasha felt a tugging at his lips and couldn't even comprehend that he was smiling.  Her smile faded at the tone of his voice.  "Oh Kagome, I'm so sorry.  I never meant to hurt you.  That's all I wanted to say.  That's I'm sorry, to beg of you forgiveness.  Will you forgive me?"

Her relief turned to puzzlement, but she tried to keep up appearances and forced herself to smile, to welcome him back into the land of the living.  "Inuyasha, yes, I'll forgive you, but… but you didn't do anything wrong."  She couldn't even finish her sentence as his eyes closed again and the hand she held went lax.

"I… Inuyasha?"

"Miroku!!"  Sango was thrown across the room as hair wrapped around her and pounded her against the wall.

The monk blasted Yura away and pulled the hairs off of Sango.  "It seems that our enemy is composed entirely of hair herself, although she may look humanoid.  Also, her strings are made of varying sharpness.  The next ones we encounter may be made from the stuff that Kouga had to break."

Kouga shook his head.  "Webbing of that caliber takes time to create.  All she has is normal hair to play with, but against humans, that's sharp enough if she gets your skin," he growled.  Kouga was going to enjoy this fight.

Looking at Kagome, Sango saw her friend pick up the broken hilt.  Her eyes widened as she realized what Kagome was going to do.  Miroku held her down, protecting her body with his as she struggled to get to her friend and hairs wrapped around them.  "Kagome!  What are you doing?  Kagome!!"

Sango watched in horror as Kagome drew the edge of the shattered blade across her wrist and blood poured out, splattering on the ground.  When Kagome smiled at her, as if she didn't feel any of the pain from having her skin torn open, Sango felt cold, even though Miroku's body was heavy and warm over hers.  "Ka… Kagome?"

"Don't worry, Sango.  I know what I'm doing.  Inuyasha's waiting for me.  He's still fighting, some part of him is still holding on, because of me.  He's teetering between life and death, and I can bring him back.  I know I can.  All I have to do is be there with him, to show him which direction to go into."

Her body slowly began to stump against Inuyasha's, making Yura scream about how she was ruining her perfect plans.  Sango gently pulled Miroklu off her, giving her fiancé a quick kiss as a thank you for keeping her safe before she told him to go and try to find whatever Yura had hidden her soul in while she kept the female demon busy. 

Kagome felt her world start to turn dark as the blood slid from her wrist.  She stared up at Inuyasha and remembered the way his eyes burned whenever he grew passionate, or the way that he fight to the death to keep her safe.

She was never going to let Death take him.


	9. Meeting in Limbus

AN: I forgot to mention:  I don't own Dread Pirate Robert, or Roberts, whatever it is. ^_^  That's from 'The Princess Bride', which of course, is either a fairy-tale turned movie, or a very long, drawn out fairy tale, but worth watching because of the every-pretty Cary Elwis and Diego Montoya.  Or is that Zorro?  *winces*  On to the responses.  I can't screw up there. ^^

Lily Thorne: Chocolate rules over revenge any day. As does cotton candy.  Why I make a connection between cotton candy and revenge, I don't know.

Liz: Um, this chapter may not answer all your questions.  Sorry. -_-

Prune:  *looks at the name and winces* HMPrune: Thank you very much! ^_^

Mybyrdy: always a sick pleasure to leave you hanging. God knows you've done that too me on a few occasions.  And now I want ice cream. I have seen Willow, but not since I was, oh, six I guess, and it scared the bejeebies out of me. I was a wuss when I was young. I also got scared at 'Legend' at that part in the marsh with that swamp-thing. *shudder*  I love that movie now though, so maybe I will borrow Willow and give it a go.  Honestly, though, I don't know if Kouga and the Sorceress will end up together. ^_^

After all, I need to give her a name first. 

Oh yeah, and um, where this came from, I don't know. It jut kind of happened.  So, I hope you like it. ^^

Chapter Nine: Meeting in Limbus OR The Chapter that's always missing because of censorship

            Kagome's eyes closed, and she didn't even register the act.  However, she was more than aware when she opened them.  Kagome gasped at the sight she found before her, even though there wasn't any air to breathe.  It was the edge of life and death, and it was like nothing she had expected.

            Life, the way that she was coming from, was a barren desert, with blowing sands and winds so strong they could blind you.  Death, on the other hand, was a lush forest, bright green from water and filled with the sounds of wildlife.  A paved road connected the two, now and again a gold or silver brick shining on the way.  Inuyasha stood on that road, at the spot where the desert winds stopped and shrubbery began to grow, before it slowly rose in height to join the tall towers of the forest.

            "Inuyasha!"  She hurried to catch up to him.

            He slowly turned around, and Kagome had been prepared for anything but what she actually saw.  His golden eyes were plain yellow, with no sign of that passion or energy she had seen even when he was human, the first time she had met him.  His hair wasn't silver, it was the black of when he was human, but it had no shine or bounce to it, as emotionless as his eyes.  His skin was pale, as it always was, but unnaturally so.  His ears were still present, as white as ever, but they stood back from his head, they way they did when he feared being reprimanded.  His broad shoulders were lowered, his back still straight, and yet he seemed so small, without any of the confidence he had in life.

            Kagome cautiously approached him, not knowing what this strange, sunken Inuyasha would do.  She didn't know what to say.  Kagome admitted that she probably should have put a more thought into her plan.  Finally, as she stood next to him, she thought of what she wanted to say, and favored him with a tiny a smile.  "Inuyasha, what are you doing here?"

            When he spoke, his voice wasn't weak, but it was as hollow as his eyes.  Kagome wasn't sure if the hoarse voice from before or the empty voice was worse.  "Kagome?  What are you doing here?  You followed me here?  Kagome… I'm sorry.  It's all because of me, isn't it?"

            Puzzled, she thought carefully again.  "Inuyasha, I came to get you.  I came to bring you back.  You don't belong here."

            "Yes I do.  Weak people die.  It's the way of life.  I'm weak.  So I died."  He glanced at the forest of death and then looked back down at Kagome before she could respond.  She was certain she saw a spark of life buried somewhere in her eyes as she looked at him.  "You're the one who shouldn't be here.  You're strong.  Like fire.  That's part of why I love you so much.  Go back there and be the person that I fell in love with, Kagome.  Be the person you were before I broke you."

            He started to take a step forward and she jumped on him to stop him from leaving.  She was more than a little surprised when she actually grabbed on to him, seizing his arm.  "Inuyasha!  You're not allowed to leave!  What the… the poison…. I forgot.  The way it tears apart your mind…."  Kagome took a deep breath.  She needed to start over.  She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder.  "Inuyasha, you didn't break me.  I'm like fire, right?  Well, you can't break fire."

            His eyebrows pulled together and his ears flattened out in the adorable manner he had of looking confused.  "Well, no," he slowly agreed.  "I suppose that fire can't break.  Extinguished then.  The things I did to you…."

            Kagome placed a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. The soft touch took him completely by surprise, and he let out his captured breath.  Hearing it hurt Kagome, because she didn't know how to fix it.  Which is why she asked him to show her what he had done that made him think he had killed off the passion he saw.  Kagome couldn't help him if she didn't know what was wrong.

            "I… I don't want to," he stubbornly said, his pride starting to grow.  "It might offend you."

            "It will offend me more if you don't show me," Kagome argued.  They locked glances, and she tapped her foot.  When he looked away first, Kagome pursed her lips.  She felt like she was talking to a sulking child.  'Wait… that's it!  I am talking to a child!  This is child Inuyasha!  The poison stripped away everything that made him the man I loved, and left the person he had been.  But that's not how it's supposed to work.  It supposed to make his worst nightmares come true.  Then again… a half-demon?  What could be worse than being someone completely vulnerable and dependent on others?  Maybe… maybe Inuyasha was even to strong for the poison.'

            Knowing that she was talking to a little kid made it easier.  Kagome's smile was warm as she took his hand in hers.  "Inuyasha.  I want you to show me what it is you think you did, okay?  I _want_ to see this."

            Finally Inuyasha relented.  The forest and desert melted away to reveal the insides of their comfortable cabin.  There, Kagome watched as her double, her body covered in scars that she somehow felt were Inuyasha's, bowed her head and allowed him to undress her. Her eyes widened as her mute double was pushed down on the bed and Inuyasha undressed himself, covering her body in his and hurting her to make her say his name or move where he wanted her.  When the other Inuyasha bit the scarred Kagome, the real one gasped.  "Is sex for demons really so… um…."  Kagome couldn't even come up with a word for it.  All she could think of was 'violent', and she wanted to steer Inuyasha away from that kind of thought.

            "It can be," Inuyasha shrugged, as if he didn't care.  Kagome would have thought he really was totally indifferent, except that she saw the images shake for a second.  For a moment they revealed their forms without the scars, wrapped in each other's arms and smiling and talking in muted, loving voices as they explored each other, trading tender kisses and laughing as they found a ticklish spot or two.  Then it faded back into the nightmare version.

            Kagome smiled gently.  So then, Inuyasha was real, felt real, but their thoughts controlled everything.  She concentrated, fighting the image had created, and found she couldn't change it.  She sighed, and relaxed, and wished she could show him what really happened.  Then… it changed.  She didn't have to force it to change, she just had to relax and let it happen.  

            "There," she triumphantly pointed at the bed.  "That's what we're really like Inuyasha."

            They sat on the bed, picking fruits out of the basket between them.  Inuyasha sat straight, and Kagome was flat on her stomach.  She wore one of his shirts.  Kagome remembered that day.  She had run out and picked berries before Inuyasha awoke.  The fabric of his shirt was worn, the way old shirts are, and smelled of him even after she had been sleeping in it overnight.

            Suddenly, she found the taste of blueberries in her mouth, the familiar shirt falling off one of her slender shoulders.  Inuyasha felt just as surprised as she.  Kagome giggled and sat up, feeding him a blueberry.  Inuyasha was too surprised to fight it as she popped it between his lips.  "Don't fight it, Inuyasha.  I much prefer being in the scene than watching."

            Picking up the basket, she stood up on the bed and sat down in his lap, holding the basket in hers.  "See?  This is how we are, Inuyasha.  We haven't had sex before, so there's no way any of that could have happened.  This is what we like.  Talking, so we can get to know each other better, and…."  She grinned as she fed him another berry.  This time he was more willing, starting to look more alert with her in his lap, and he opened his mouth, tasting her finger as she fed him.  

Before he knew it, the basket of berries was off her lap and she was straddling him, cuddling against him and moving her finger over to his fang, stroking it lightly.  He felt a shudder go threw him as he realized how sensitive they were, and the way the tip of her finger left a tingling trail on his lips and the roof of his mouth.  

Kagome pulled back her finger and stole another berry, laughing.  "And exploring each other.  Let's face it.  I know about as much as demon bodies as I do about baking."

            She wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling her chin with her nose.  "Which is how I know that you like cuddling, or nesting, or whatever you want to call it, because it's part of something that dogs do anyway.  Or how I know that you like your ears scratched like this."  Kagome scratched his ears just the way he had said he liked best, eliciting a moan from Inuyasha.  She continued to play with his ears.  "See?  And did you notice my legs, or my neck?  No scars.  Because you never hurt me.  Not even once.  In fact, you're often there to save me from myself.  Like when I fall from reaching a high shelf."

            "I…"  He was having trouble remembering, but Kagome wasn't sure if it was from the scratching or the poison.  "I think I remember.  But… hurting you seems so real too…."

            Kagome pulled her hands back down and settled for playing with his shirt.  She was about to ask him something, when she realized what was wrong with the picture.  Inuyasha wasn't touching her.  Kagome took his hands gently and placed one on the small of her back.  She placed the other one on her shoulder so that he could play with her hair.  Kagome liked it when Inuyasha brushed her black hair.

            "Inuyasha, why would you want to hurt me in the first place?" she carefully asked.  He still wasn't playing with her hair, and he just sat there, still as rock.  She smiled at him.  "Inuyasha, you won't hurt me, so go ahead and play with my hair, please?  I like having it be brushed."

            Cautiously, Inuyasha began to brush her hair.  Her hair was soft between his fingers, and cool, like a summer breeze.  He suddenly remembered what cold was.  Cold was the feeling of her hair, or the feeling left behind by her breath as it raced through the fabric of his shirt.  "I remember cold," he muttered beneath his breath.  And she didn't hurt.  She didn't burn like he thought she did.  "You don't burn," he said, his voice getting a little louder.

            Puzzled again, she held back a laugh.  "Of course I don't burn, Inuyasha.  Now, please, answer my question.  I mean, I'm sure that you didn't want to hurt me, in the… whatever that scene was, but why did you?"

            "Because I hate you," he hollowly answered.

            Kagome felt as if she had been slapped, startling his hand away.  Smiling, she apologized and curled back up against him.  "I'm sorry.  Please, go on and do that again.  I like the way it feels."

            His answer had startled her not just because of the void feeling behind them, but because they seemed so practiced and rehearsed… and real.  Somehow, they felt real to Kagome.  She'd encountered many kinds of hate before.  There was the hurt kind of painful anger that made people scream 'I hate you' at the top of your lungs.  That was the superficial kind of anger.  Then there was the deep kind of anger.  The kind that was so deeply rooted that it came out quietly, like the hiss of some deadly snake.  That was the kind of hate this sounded like.

            It made her wonder… was this the poison, or was this the real Inuyasha, some part of him buried deep within, as dark as the warrior she loved shone?

            "No," she firmly stated.  She felt her power blossom from that word, and she softened her voice again after noticing that his ears traveled back.  "Inuyasha, why would you think that you hated me?"

            "Because you only stayed with me because your Queen told you to," he replied in that same hollow, practiced voice.  "You don't really care for me, you just tell me and yourself that so that the pain of having to stay with me isn't so bad."

            She was shocked that he felt that way.  Kagome had to keep from hitting him.  She probably would have, except that this was Inuyasha without any shields at all, and to do so might have broken him.  "Inuyasha, I didn't have to agree to want to marry you.  You know that.  I stay with you because I like being with you, because I feel safe here, with you, because you make me smile and laugh and… and I'm sad when you leave me.  I don't like having to wait at home while you go work, and worry about if your long absence is because you're dead or snowed in or whatever.  I love you."

            This time he was the one who said no, and pushed her away.  Kagome toppled down to the floor.  It was the roughest he had ever treated her.  "Don't confuse me like that, Kagome!  Love… love isn't real!  It's just an illusion!  It's just like the rest of this stuff!  You try to use it to hide, to make yourself feel good and safe and happy it isn't true, because _love isn't real_!"

            Picking herself up off the ground, she held her chin up proudly and tried to stare him straight in the eye.  "What do you mean it isn't real?!  If you mean it isn't real in the way that a blanket or an animal is, then yes, it isn't real!  How can an emotion have a feeling or a taste or a sound?  It's an _emotion_, Inuyasha!  If you want to feel it then… then…." 

            Kagome grabbed his hand and held it over her heart, pressing it over her skin.  "There!"  She didn't know why she was getting so frustrated with him.  She just didn't like seeing her Inuyasha, her prince, reduced to….

            "That's nothing but a heart beat," he snapped, but he didn't move his hand away.  His eyes slipped down and stared at his hand pressed over the fabric of his shirt that she had claimed.

            "I know," she sniffled, unable to contain all the feelings she had felt since she walked into Yura's den and saw his body there.  The tears dripped from her chin to his hand.  "And these are just tears.  They're just salt and water.  But…."  Her voice began to shake along with her body.  "Inuyasha, you don't hate me.  You have no reason to hate me.  I wish I could give you something so that you can feel love, or smell it, or hold it, but you can't because it's immaterial.  But I love you.  So you can have me.  I want you to.  Every time you hold me, or smell me, or kiss me, or hug me or think of me, I want you to know that this is how love feels, and tastes, and smells and when I laugh I want you to remember that this is how love sounds."

            His eyes were warmer now, and staring at her.  Did Inuyasha remember crying?  Yes.  He remembered crying.  He remembered being kicked and slapped and teased when he was little for crying, even though he did it over his mother's grave when he thought no one was looking.

            "Crying is for weak people," he snapped angrily. 

            "Then I'm weak!" she hollered.  "Because you're broken and I don't have a clue how to fix you!  You feel bad because you think you broke me, but that was all a lie.  It never happened, Inuyasha!  So I ask you why you do that and you say it's because that you hate me, but the reasons you give me to explain this hate are stupid because they're all lies too!  I'm here because I want to be here.  Inuyasha, I came here to pull you back because I'm not going to sit there and watch you die, but…"

            Kagome's lip trembled and she struggled to put her words back together. She pounded a fist against his chest as she fell against him, clinging to his shirt and her shoulders shook.  "I can't fix you unless you help me and have a little bit of faith in me!"

            "Faith isn't real either, you know."

            "Then tell me what is!  Tell me what is real so that I have somewhere to start!"

            That's when it struck her.  She jumped away from Inuyasha.  His hollow voice… it's because he was hollow.  He was more than just a child in the strange world she found herself in.  He was a _baby_.  When she looked at him, she didn't find the person she had met before, a man more human than demon, but she found the whole demon, with fangs that truly deserved the name and glowing red eyes and silver hair that floated around him by some unnatural breeze.  That was it, then.  That was what Inuyasha thought of himself, where she was supposed to start off from.  Inuyasha didn't see himself as a half-man, half-demon; he saw himself as Inuyasha the prince, or Inuyasha the monster, the person he could have been without his values or beliefs…

            Which had all been ripped away now.

            She gulped back a bit of fear as she realized that this Inuyasha could actually hurt her.  'But he hasn't,' she pointed out to herself.  'He hasn't done that yet.  So something is still holding him back.  So I have to let that grow, and grow with him.'

            Kagome closed her eyes, and thought.  How did she see herself?  She needed to start back at the very beginning.  Who was Kagome?  Slowly, her form shifted.  Wings sprouted from her back, the wings broken and mended, unable to fly again.  Her ears shifted to the top of her head, patchwork black of her hair and the white of her feathers.  Her muscles grew more defined, making her look as strong as she felt on one of her good days.

            Inuyasha was looking at her quizzically when she opened her eyes.  She smiled at him and took his hand, ignoring his bloody claws.  "You'll see.  You'll see when I'm done showing you everything I want to show you, Inuyasha.  Let's see…. May I show you what I think of you?"  He nodded, and pictures flashed by, filling their surroundings and frighteningly real.  

            Amber.  "Like your eyes; pretty and golden in color, filled with a kind of age."  The Moon.  "It controls your shifting from human and demon, so of course it has a lot to do with you.  Your shifting personality, how when you work are so industrious and serious, but when you loosen up, you can smile and laugh and be caring and warm.  And your hair is kind of moonlike too."  A sword.  "The same color as your hair.  And you look so graceful dancing like one.  And it's a phallic symbol.  Need I say more?"  Water.  "Because you kind of seem to flow, the way you move."  Fire.  "Because you're so passionate, and your eyes kind of seem to shine when I look into them."  Earth.  "Because your body is warm and strong and stable."  A puppy dog.  "Because of the ears."  A quiet wolf.  "Because you need to be alone once in awhile, and you're so protective."  Air.  "Because you're so quiet it's like you're walking on clouds."

            Ignoring his state and her wings, she leaned against him.  "The first time I ever saw you, you looked like this."  A picture appeared from her memories, filled with details.  "You scared me, because you took me by surprise.  But look at you… you looked so… _good_.  Right from the start, you were protecting me, even you didn't have to.  That's because you always stand up for the people no one else will, even though you may complain.  You just have to try and keep up the appearance that you don't actually care about people.  But you do care.  You care a lot."

            Another picture flashed, this one a moving picture that came from her imagination, of him holding her as she cried over Sango's supposed death.  "You let me mourn my friend as you held me close.  Once again, protecting me, but also offering yourself to keep me warm and happy.  There's nothing more that I could have asked you to give me, Inuyasha.  And you were so warm and confident and strong and comfortable… you still are."

            Kagome showed him many other things, and soon he began to talk back.  When she showed him fighting for her honor, he lowered his head.  When he looked back, his eyes were golden again.  "You know, that wasn't really me. I mean, you kicked Manten and Hiten's ass.  You could have been just fine all by yourself, you know."

            She smiled sweetly.  "Thank you, Inuyasha.  But we did it together.  The rules wouldn't let me fight, and I was so worried about you.  I'm so worried about you being hurt."

            "I can take care of myself."  She mentally cheered. The first sign of the old arrogant Inuyasha being back.

            "It's not just that, Inuyasha.  It's not the idea of you _getting_ hurt, it's _being_ hurt.  Of bleeding, of dying, or being in pain and me not even knowing that bothers me.  You leave me and I get so scared that you're calling for me somewhere and I can't help.  See?"  Kagome began to show pictures of her helping people, as early as her memories let her remember.  She showed him her saving caterpillars from being caught by boys, or spiders that were about to get their legs pulled off, up to her healing wounds or making pastes for dirty cuts.   "I like to help."

            He watched, awed, his memories started growing afresh.  Helping people… she looked so good doing it.  Not in the physical way, in the other way.  She looked untouchable, the way an angel helps people and is too pure to be touched by someone like him.  Except she had already made it clear that she wanted him to do so.  But he couldn't!  She was a Priestess, and thus, as untouchable as any angel.  

'Then, that's why….'

He'd figured out why she'd given herself the wings.  Inuyasha frowned.  "Wait a minute!  You skipped stuff!  Then you're… eleven, right?  And then, suddenly, you're thirteen.  So what happened when you were twelve?"

            Kagome sighed, and opened her mind to their world.  She needed to show him everything, so that's just what she would show him.  Kagome turned around and buried her face in his chest.  She always had the memories in the back of her mind.  She didn't need to hear it.  She made sure there wasn't any volume either.  It had been five years ago, long ago now.  

            Inuyasha watched as Kagome played, a happy, perky twelve year old.  He watched, hearing the voices in his mind as her mother, father and grandfather told her how proud they were that she was going to be a Priestess.  And still Kagome played, doing her chores as anybody should, until a boy came running for her.  They took off to her house.  The boy was her little brother.  Her father had taken a serious wound from working on the farm.  Inuyasha didn't quite understand; he guessed that everything since then was rather murky because Kagome's memories were murky.  

'She must have been too shocked to remember everything clearly.'

            'Come on, Kagome,' Sota insisted.  'You can save him, right?  Use that pink shiny stuff!'

            She opened herself up, and she tried.  She tried hard to summon her powers to heal the wound, but they fizzed out.  Kagome tried again, biting her lip so hard it drew blood, but she couldn't summon up the ability to heal her father's wound.  She had to watch, as helpless as the rest of her family, as the large wound took forever to close, and her father fell into a fever.

            Kagome tried everything to save him.  They called someone in from the city, but it took four days for the head Priestess to come in, and by then he had already been buried.  Her mother had explained the situation, and they went inside Kagome's bedroom, telling the little girl to lie still as they lifted her skirts and examined her.  In Inuyasha's arms, Kagome began to shake, remembering how scared she had been, not knowing what had been going on.

            'The hymen has been broken,' the Priestess said to Kagome's mother as she dried her hands.

            'What?  You mean….'

            'Oh no, Kagome's far too young.  No, no.  This happens sometimes.  She's an energetic child is she not?  That might explain it then.  Sometimes it breaks when the children are energetic like that.  It stretches from exercises and playing around, horseback riding, the list goes on.  I always said she was powerful.  

'Most of the time when the hymen break, we lose our powers.  The stories say we are supposed to honor others, not ourselves, and when it breaks the body assumes we have been taken by another and dumps all the power it has, because it's too hard to love a man –or a woman- and still be dedicated to helping others.  This forces you to make that choice.  When it happens naturally like this… the body doesn't understand and dumps it all anyway.  Except she had too much of it.  It was impossible for her to lose all of her powers.  She won't be able to heal anymore, but she will still be able to purify, and do it exceedingly well.  I'd like to keep her…..'

"I stayed to help the farm.  I couldn't let Mother and Sota and Grandfather do it all.  So I stayed to help.  Technically, I'm no longer a Priestess.  I still get called that because I can purify things, just like she predicted, but because that thing broke… I can't be anything more or do anything more than that," she muttered into his shirt.

"Then… I won't be taking anything from you?  I mean, you know, if I have sex with you, I won't be…."  He felt relieved when she shook her head no and his nails returned to their normal size and shape.  He wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping her there.  "Good.  When I found out that if I shared a bed with you I might make you lose all the wonderful things you do, then I wondered whether I could do that or not.  The things you do are... beyond compare, and if I took them from you I would have felt selfish."

Kagome laughed slightly.  "Inuyasha, I would have given them up willingly to be your wife.  Being a Priestess would have been wonderful, but to be able to grow old with somebody and have children and have sex with somebody I love and watch them grow up and have children and… and to have everything that you make me feel, how could I live without it?"

Inuyasha didn't need to say anything else.  He understood now.  His memories were filling them in now, sorting out the lies from the truth.  His teeth returned to normal and his hair fell back into place.  "Then these," he said, brushing her wings, "are because you were untouched, but broke, and you managed to get over it.  But these I don't quite understand," he said, touching the ears.

She smiled broadly.  "Those are because you have them, so I want them too, damn it.  After all, you've often admitted how like you I am.  Stubborn, and determined, and a hard worker, and I like to bite your ears… so why can't I be part demon too, in my own unique way?"  She looked up at him hopefully.  "Are you ready to go back Inuyasha?  We don't have to stay here.  We need to choose life or death.  I want a life, Inuyasha, with you.  There are lots of people waiting for you.  Like Miroku, and Sango, and Shippo… please come back with me."

He nodded.  Inuyasha would follow her anywhere.

Everything melted away as they floated back to their bodies, away from the land between the dead and the living.  Kagome was expecting some kind of retaliation from stealing such a soul from the dead, but she got nothing.

Frankly, Death was happy to let them go.  They were way too corny for his place.


	10. The Hurricane's Eye

AN:  So sorry I left you so long with a cliffie! -_-  I didn't mean to go this ling without updating!  

Lily and Liz:  Aw, I love you too!  I'm glad that I make you laugh, Liz.  Your (that's English plural, folks!  Why can't English be like just about every other language and have a you plural?) reviews make me fuzzy warm, so I suppose that this is a fair trade off!

Mybyrdy:  Hey, those are good movies.  The 80's had some great shit going on! ^_^  Smurfs, Gummi Bears, Legend, Star Wars V and VI, Never-ending Story, Princess Bride… wait, was that the 80's?  Oh well.  And hey, I have a whole month of "studying" before finals.  This means that I will pretty much be writing and reading fanfics until 76 hours from my last exam.  Then I'll study.

Enjoy!  Only circa three more chapters to go!  *sniffles* My baby is getting so old so quickly!

Chapter Ten:  The Hurricane's Eye

            Awaking, Kagome felt a rush of nausea.  She groaned as she sat up, the sensations lowly abating.  Arms suddenly wrapped around her, and she brushed dark hair from her face.  Kagome gently patted Sango's back with her good hand, using the hug to support herself, her eyes trying to put together what had happened while she was in the other place.  Miroku was bandaged here and there with what appeared to be dishtowels from the storefront.  Kouga was hardly hurt, although stained patches in his clothes revealed that he had been injured at one point in time by a few nicks or scrapes.  Sango looked the best out of all of them, but she was the only one who had armor on.  Kagome looked down and saw that the wrist she had sliced was wrapped in the same dishtowels as Miroku sported.  She touched it lightly, wincing as she remembered the way the edge of the sword had sliced her skin.  No wonder it had been Sango's favorite sword, with an edge like that!

            Miroku pulled Sango away.  In the corner there lay a shattered comb and pieces of Yura's clothing.  He winked at Kagome, and then smiled at someone behind her.

            Kagome whipped around to see Inuyasha trying to sit up.  Her eyes widened. She'd known that he was going to follow her back to realm of the living, and yet, seeing it touched her so deeply it hurt.  "INUYASHA!"  She screeched his name and jumped on him, throwing her arms around his neck and moving with such velocity she knocked him off the marble slab and to the floor.  She landed on the bottom, and really didn't care as she let her hands feel his puppy ears and her nose nuzzle to get under his chin where she always felt warm.  All this was happening at the same time that she was kissing him fiercely on the mouth, and then on his neck, then his chin, then his cheek, and all over again.

            He winced at hearing the thud they made, and held himself up on shaky arms.  He smiled despite himself as she kissed him hello, her soft body rubbing against his in her excitement.  "Kagome…."  He tried to say something, but her lips cut him off.  Inuyasha's eyebrows moved up and down quickly as he felt her tongue brush his lips and he eagerly kissed her back.  Unable to hold her close, she pulled herself up against him… or him down to her, something like that.  Her hands moved up and down his back, her fingers dancing between his silver hair, making his chest rumble in pleasure from the feeling of her body and the way her lips enticed him to return her touches with equal fervor…

            Kouga coughed, glaring at them.  "Guys… get a room, will you?"

            Everybody glared at him, and he sighed and left.  From her vantage point on the floor, Kagome's eyes slipped up to get an excellent shot of his tights.  Yup.  Kouga had the legs for those things, that was for certain!  She turned back to Inuyasha, her luster returned now that he was safe.  "You were going to say something, love?"

            His golden eyes stared at her in surprise for a moment.  His memories were slowly returning as he battled the poison still lingering in his veins.  It had been a long time since she had called him that.  It sounded wonderful.  Inuyasha couldn't explain it, but she was right.  Love wasn't something material, but it could still be seen and felt, and experienced in everyway that a material thing can be experienced: it sounded like Kagome laughing or sighing from pleasure and relaxation, it smelled like her hair or her body when she wrapped herself around him, it felt like happy kisses and tasted that same way.  He'd never forget what she had given him.  He'd had nothing, and she had shown up and given him everything good in the world.  Kagome was his whole world.

            "I can't remember what it was," he laughed.  Inuyasha groaned as he sat up.  He felt horrible, physically.  Mentally he felt great.  Inuyasha wanted to go and have a long bath.   Kagome didn't seem to care his state, and curled up against him.  He draped an arm over her shoulder and stared up at his friends.

            "Thank y… Sango?  Why do you have a starfish on your head?"

            The knight laughed and explained how they had gained the Sorceress as a companion.  When the tale was done, Inuyasha was looking a little better, probably because he was laughing at Kagome and the Sorceress.

            _All I said was that he was cute!  And that I wouldn't really mind nibbling on those ears of his.  They look so fluffy and tender!  Sango, if possible, could you please find me a man with Kouga's legs and Inuyasha's ears?_

            Kagome poked the starfish gently.  "Hey, Inuyasha's legs look really good too!  What's wrong with his legs that you don't like them?"

            _I can't even see them underneath those red pants of his!_

            Chuckling himself, Miroku looped an arm around Sango.  Kagome could tell they were leaning on each other just to stay upright.  Everyone was ready for a nap.  Miroku knew that Inuyasha would need a night or so before he would be clear enough from the poison to travel without fear of problems, like falling off the back of a roc, for instance.  "Why don't we spend the night here in this town?  They have a way house we can lodge at and we can leave for the palace tomorrow morning, with Kouga.  We should probably tell Sesshomaru what happened here, with Yura."  He caught the confused looks and held back a sigh.  "He should at least know why she's dead, even if he doesn't know her personally and such, so that it can go down in the record books as her being a traitor to the throne.  Otherwise it will just be taken as murder and then some other relative of her or the thunder brothers will pop up and try to take revenge."

            Kagome nodded in agreement.  "Besides, Kirara and Shippo are probably getting worried, waiting for us."  

"Oh, great," Inuyasha groaned.  "The brat and the cat are here too?"

"Yup!"  She stood and helped him up.  He ignored her offered hand and forced himself to stand up on his own.  Hurt, Kagome tried to shrug it off and get out of his way, figuring that if Inuyasha was too proud to take her hand, he was probably too proud to lean on her through the cavern.

A hand slipped into her bad one, carefully lifting it to look at it.  Their companions were already leaving through the rocky tunnel back to the surface, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome alone.  She watched him, satisfied at having him back and intrigued by the way he treated her wounded hand.  She could feel his lightly probing fingers through the fabric that bound her wounds, but his touch was too soft to hurt.

Inuyasha glanced back at the table he had been found on, at her wrist and at the dots of blood he could faintly pick out on his shirt.  From the moment he had woken up, he had had an idea of what had happened.  Kagome had cut herself to join him at the juncture of life and death to bring him back where he belonged.  He couldn't believe that she would actually do that to save him, but the proof was on her hand, on the marble, on the floor, and on him, hanging in the air sweetly.  He opened his mouth to say her name, but couldn't find any words to tell her after that.  So instead he leaned down and kissed her gently.  There was no passion in his lips, no intended threat that would make her want to cling to him and remain in that place just to be with him.  It was just a kiss, his lips brushing hers because something deep within him felt like a kiss was the only way he could tank her for the risk she took to keep him anchored to life.

His face hovered over hers as he stopped.  It was as if the pure simplicity of the kiss had knocked him back.  He was staring straight ahead, so was Kagome, but both of them were lost that they weren't aware of their eyes being either opened or closed.  Slowly, Inuyasha closed the tiny gap between their lips again and kissed her once more.  Kagome let her eyes close and she giggled, his lips so light on hers they tickled more than anything until she began to kiss him back.  Their mouths pressed together, moving so carefully that it was agonizing it in its own way, and Kagome felt her bottom lip began to tremble from a sinking cold.  His wasn't far behind.  Oh, those types of kisses were more than wonderful, but both of them wanted to have the deeper kind of kisses that left them satisfied and smiling when they stopped to take breaths, marveling at how their lover looked amazed and bright-eyed from the affection they shared.

"Are you guys coming?"

They sighed as they stopped.  Inuyasha's hand fell from Kagome's cheek, about to draw her face close for what they both craved.  Her good hand stayed entwined with his.  "I'm going to kill him," he swore.  "I'm going to kill that goddamn monk."

~*~

            The group rented three rooms for the night.  Kouga said he had to get on the way and couldn't remain.  Shippo and the Sorceress shared a room with Kirara.  The Sorceress said that she was able to sleep anywhere, and no one worried about her playing with illusions on the young fox demon.  Shippo was amazed at the things she created, her magic so close to his own, and they had secretly agreed to trade secrets.  Sango and Miroku took one room, and Inuyasha and Kagome took the last.

            Inuyasha stared at the large bed in the room and then at Kagome as she dug in her bags to try and find her medicine pouch so that they could properly bandage her hand. Kagome glanced up and laughed, drawing the medicine pouch out of her bag.  "Inuyasha, get over it.  We're going to be sleeping in the same bed one day so you might as well get used to the idea."

            He rolled his eyes and sat down next to her on the bed.  He took her hand and unwound the dishcloth, then began wrapping gauze around it.  "I'm well aware of that.  I just worry about your honor sometimes.  I'm allowed doing that.  I don't want people walking around talking about you're dishonored or anything…."

            "To hell with honor!  If I want to share a bed with you or sleep with you or have sex with you, that's really nobody else's business but ours!  Besides," she grinned as she slid into his lap, leaning her back against his chest as he finished wrapping her hands and fastening it shut.  "We were going to have sex before you were called away.  What was it that you said?"

            Smirking, his hands began to pull her shirt off of her torso.  He lifted it up over her head before he answered her, his hungry eyes devouring the sight of her exposed flesh.  His nose ran over his shoulder, his breath making her cold as it left her skin. "I said that I couldn't wait to have you anymore."

            Kagome let out a tiny moan of pleasure as his lips moved from her shoulder to her neck.  Her hands tightened on the arm he wrapped around her waist to keep from giggling when he gave her neck an experimental lick.  He stopped and she leaned her head back to give him more access.  Her eyes were closed as she just enjoyed being with him.  "Don't stop Inuyasha, please.  It feels great.  It just find of tickles too."

Arching en eyebrow, Kagome suddenly realized what he was planning now that he was aware of this new found weakness.  Miroku and Sango were halfway undressed when they heard laughter and growling break the hot air around them.  Both of them turned to look at the wall they shared with Kagome and Inuyasha, hearing Kagome's voice beg to be released between fits of laughter and what they swore was Inuyasha's laughter as well.

The monk grinned.  Taking advantage of the scenario, he tossed Sango on the bed and pounced her.  He began to kiss her soft skin, the woman he loved squirming beneath him as she thought of the bliss they could create when they had more than six minutes.  "This is a good thing.  If she keeps her laughing, you can be louder without disturbing anyone because Kagome will be covering up all the wonderful sounds you make."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed the hem of his pants, her eyes dancing with the warmth reserved purely for Miroku.  "I'm not going to be making any wonderful sounds," she announced before she flipped over him, sitting on his waist.  Sango arched her back and stretched with a yawn, giving him a glorious view. "At least, not unless you can give me adequate reasons."

Miroku arched an eyebrow, his smile growing as his eyes drank in the sights before him.   "Gods, I missed you, Sango."

"I know," Sango responded, lowering herself to kiss him.  He smelled and tasted wonderful.  She felt his hands run up her back, and start to brush her hair.  His fingers entangled in the brown mass and then he suddenly shifted.  Sango once again found herself with her back pressed into the soft mattress.  She laughed under his lips.  "That was tricky, monk, kissing me into losing my position…."

"Well, Sango, this is war…."  Miroku chuckled, nuzzling his cheek against hers as she started to play with his earrings.  He let out a moan and then began searching for a tender place on her neck to tease.  "I talked to Kouga.  I told him all about me being the Dread Pirate Roberts…."

Sango sighed in pleasure as his lips and breath warmed her skin when he spoke.  She relaxed.  She'd wrestle him in a moment, as soon as she was done enjoying his ministrations.  Sango wanted to see how much he enjoyed being slammed up against a wall!  "And?"

"Dread Pirate Roberts will continue to live, but I will retire.  When Kouga grows tired of it, he will pass on the title to someone else.  Hopefully Shippo will be old enough by that point."  His hands reached down and began to rub her, and she let out what sounded like a purr at his touch.  "Which means that I will be able to not worry about you needing to arrest me, and Kouga's smart enough to outwit you.  I, on the other hand, know you far too well."  He ducked when a lazy hand was raised to smack him for rubbing her buttock, making her laugh.  "See?"

"No.  I can't see."  She suddenly pushed him off the bed, and sprawled across all of it herself.  She took a deep breath.  "Now that I don't have a monk on top of me, I can see.  How do you know that Kouga is trustworthy?  He could be on his way to tell Sesshomaru right now that you're a thief."

Miroku growled as he picked himself up on the floor.  He leaned on the footboard and watched her stretching on the bed.  Miroku maneuvered himself so that she had to roll over to look at him when he spoke.  "Kouga has no love for Sesshomaru.  Besides, before the dog family took control and gave more power to the canine demons, all the canine tribes were among the poorest.  Kouga may not be old enough to remember that time, but the stories would not be easily forgotten.  He doesn't want to see anybody like that."

Propping up her chin, she was considering this when Miroku jumped on her, pinning her stomach to the bed as he smothered her body with his.  She swore, and craned her neck to look at him.  "You jerk.  That's it, next time, you're getting gagged so that you can't distract me."

He laughed loudly, entwining his fingers with hers.  "My darling Sango, you may have the cut for a sword fight, but when it comes to psychological warfare or distractions, you have no mind for any of it."

"We'll see about that, Miroku!"

~*~

            The next morning the expanded group began their way slowly, taking long and frequent brakes.   They thought that maybe Inuyasha would complain about having to stop so frequently, but he said nothing, and seemed to enjoy himself.  Kagome put it best when she said: 'Inuyasha isn't going to complain about the situation because it gives him an excuse to spend more time to his friends.  I know that he doesn't like having us think he's weak and needs to be treated like an infant who needs naps all the time, but he knows that as soon as he gets to the castle, he's going to be sent out again.  So he might as well enjoy this time while he has it.'

            What should have been a trip of a one or two days was drawn out to five.  Everyone was in high spirits.  Inuyasha and Kagome walked hand in hand as did the knight and the monk, Shippo and the Sorceress rode Kirara, still playing with illusions.  The Sorceress, instead of her voluptuous blonde, was fiery red head with golden eyes and fangs, and a bushy tail poking out from under her skirt.

            Inuyasha and Kagome were particularly happy.  This was the first time they could enjoy the nice weather together, as usually Inuyasha was always being called away when it wasn't winter.  At night they lay side by side under the blanket that Kagome had made.  Inuyasha didn't want to use it outside because he thought the ground would ruin it, but the blanket never seemed to fray or get a spot of dirt on it. On the second night out, they even discovered it kept off the rain.  Inuyasha almost grudgingly said that it was stronger than his fire rat robes.  Kagome merely smiled proudly.

            Sango and Miroku, confident that between three demons, a royal hanyou, a monk, a priestess, and a knight that no one would bother them, played the entire way home.  He grabbed Sango's butt, and then tried to run away, allowing her to chase him.  He'd trick her into the woods and then sneak up behind her to grab her.  If he was lucky, he would succeed and then have fun making out with her until the others were a quick dash ahead of them.  If he failed… well, failing wasn't an option for Miroku.

            Finally, they came to the city.  Inuyasha stopped at the front gates of the city, Kagome stopping with him.  She watched him study the city gates, and then he looked at her, his yellow eyes the soft shade they were only for her.  "It's been a nice vacation, Kagome.  Promise you won't hold it against me when I have to go back to work?"

            She smiled and snuck her hand out of his, wrapping them around his neck and sliding them through his silver hair.  "Inuyasha… oh man, I've been spending too much time with Miroku.  I just thought of really bad pick up lines.  Inuyasha, you have a job to do.  I have to accept that.  Being a prince, and a being a good prince who does his duty, who saves people and makes the world a safer place for all the puppies we're going to have, those are part of what makes you Inuyasha, pieces of your past and your present.  They're part of what makes me love you.  I just get lonely when you aren't around."  She buried her head in his chest, feeling his nose brush her hair as if he were grooming her.  "I just wish I was able to come with you, to know that you're okay."

            Inuyasha considered this request, which he had heard often since he had become engaged.  He kissed her sweet-smelling hair.  "We'll talk to Sesshomaru about it.  I mean, you're right, it's not fair.  Your abilities compliment mine.  Whatever you can't do, I can, and vice versa."  She looked up at him and he gave her a quick kiss, watching the way her eyes warmed up from his indirect compliment.  

The way that she had come to rescue him, it had changed his usual argument.  He couldn't stop Kagome from getting hurt, he couldn't keep protecting her.  He'd try, of course, he'd try until he couldn't hold himself up anymore, and then he'd chew of people's ankles to sop Kagome from being hurt, but that was an ideal that was unrealistic.  She was her own person; she couldn't be confined to a little piece of land and denied the life she wanted.  

He grinned, giving her side a teasing poke.  "Treat you to dinner tonight?"

"I'm willing to cook if you make the chocolate mousse for desert."

"Yeah, but I'm not willing to die from the carcinogens in all that burnt shit you claim is edible."  
            Kagome growled and pounced on his back, hitting him as she cursed him for insulting her cooking.  Inuyasha all but ignored her as he caught up with his friends.  He did however, pay attention when she leaned up and bit his ears without any warning.  That was when he stopped and pulled her off his back.  "Kagome, I wouldn't suggest doing that until we're alone."

"Oh….."  She walked with him in time as they watched Miroku start to weave his way closer to Sango in an attempt to grope her again.  "Why, Inuyasha?"  She laughed when Miroku noticed the small church to the demon gods and then began to try and get her to agree to a demon wedding.  Kagome was surprised when Sango vehemently replied no.

Inuyasha dropped his voice.  "Because my ears are very sensitive and with the right touches…."  His face didn't change even though he was slightly awkward with the topic of conversation.  His ears had always been a touchy matter to him.  "Because with the right touches they are considered to be an erroneous zone, and, let's just face it."  He peered down at her, and she saw an almost smile on his lips.  "I'm half dog-demon.  Biting and licking, other carnal actions, they're often involved in the mating ritual."

"You like to lick and bite in sex?"

Her earnest face wasn't exactly the reaction Inuyasha had expected.  He had hoped to get a chuckle or two from watching her face go red or something.  Now his face was the one to go red.  "Not sex.  In mating rituals.  That would be the same thing as a human wedding, Kagome.  Instead of rings on each other fingers, it's ah…. More like demons have to rub up and down against each other to mark each other, and stuff.  It's, ah, I suppose the easiest way of putting it would be that demons don't have to have rough sex, but that the wedding itself is basically some of the most intense, roughest sex one can imagine."

Now her face paled.  No wonder Sango hadn't wanted to go the demon chapel to get married!  Kagome pursed her lips, puzzled.  "Wait; if sex is used as a marriage ceremony, then we do you have a chapel?"

"Ahhh….."  He placed his hand on her back, pushing her forwards.  "Just keep walking Kagome.  I'll try and explain later on."


	11. A Family United

AN:  For once… I actually can't think of an opening for my AN… save for: Pad PoF!  So many innuendoes to sex in this chapter!  

Mybyrdy:  Ah… yeah… still working on it. -_-  I'm think I'll save it and put a K/I chapter in my other story, just randomly.  It doesn't really suit this one.  It's too cute, and… ah well. ^^  I'm glad you like my Miroku.  I love writing about him.  Why can't I find a man with puppy ears, fangs, a fiery temper, Miroku's charming demeanor and perversion, and stuffed into shiny armor?  It's not that much of a request…. And I love you so much, Mybyrdy-chan.  You're just so sweet! ^-^

Lily:  I also like the Sorceress!  That's why I couldn't kill her off, even if it was Sango that got to do the killing.  I just like her far too much!

Krissy:  Honey, you haven't begun to see just how fluffy I can get.

Liz:  Given the fact that I write mostly at midnight after Inuyasha, I don't blame you for wondering about the chapels.  Basically… take everything you associate with "chapel" and throw it out the window.  Then take everything you think about when you think of corny motels with the heart-shaped beds, and associate that with chapel. Ta-da!  Meet the demon version of a wedding chapel in this fic. ^^

Enjoy! ^^

Chapter Eleven: A Family United

            "The King is busy right now," the demon at the doorway to the reception hall said.  "He's fighting with his courtiers.  They all want him to wed Kagura so that he'll be able to produce an heir the demon throne.  No offense to you, Prince Inuyasha, Princesss Kagome.  The people want a fully demon king on their throne, not one who is only a quarter demon.  But there's always the human throne to think of if you really want to rule."

            Kagome giggled.  "Don't worry.  I for one, don't want to be Queen."  She felt the surprise running through Inuyasha's arm as she leaned against him.  Kagome smiled up at him, giving a tiny shrug.  "What can I say? If I had to be Queen, I would, but I'd probably ruin a great number of dresses by going out to the fields and helping to sow the fields in the pouring rain."

            Inuyasha smiled at her.  "Very well.  Jaken, tell my older brother that Kagome and I will be in my room and that we wish to have an audience with him when it is next possible."

            The small green demon nodded.  "As you wish, Prince.  Shall I have a maid escort these two humans to a spare room, as well as one for the cat demon and the kitsune?"

            He shook his head.  "No need.  We can show them to their rooms ourselves."  The group headed down the hallway, looking forward to hot baths and soft beds.  Walking was wonderful exercise, but there was nothing like a bubble bath and fluffy pillows to make someone feel like royalty; especially when all that was actually taking place in the royal castle.  "With all the time you three are starting to spend here, maybe we should find you some more permanent rooms."

            "Don't worry about it, Inuyasha.  You don't come here often, so maybe you should add on our room to that cottage you call a house for when we come visit Kagome," Sango teased, laughing suddenly when Miroku slipped an arm around her waist and sniffed her ear.  "Or you could come and visit us when you get the chance.  We'll have plenty of room, and lots of fields for Kagome to play in."

            She stuck her tongue out at her friend, and was reprimanded when Inuyasha patted her head.  He muttered something about keeping her tongue in her mouth unless she was planning on using it and she felt her face erupt.  She mumbled something about perverted monks rubbing off on princes.  "You guys want to join us for dinner tonight?  That includes you three, Kirara, Shippo, and Sorceress.  It will be the last time we can have dinner before I have to get back to the farm.  The weeds are probably having a field day without me there to fix them up."

            "You worry too much," Shippo said, his eyes bright at the thought of food. 

            "And you're going to get fat if you keep eating like a pig."

            The Sorceress took her turn to laugh.  She was once again in a human form, looking like a fox spirit again.  On their way home, she had continually been asked if she was the mother of the cute little cub ahead of her.  In the tradition of Kagome and Sango, Shippo had latched on to her, this woman who could teach him so much about the magic of illusion, and she had to him, acting as if she really were his mother.  Yet she could not stop acting as if she were a child.  Now that the pig comment had been made, the Sorceress only had to wiggle her nose and Shippo's fox traits vanished to be replaced with that of a piglet's.

            "Hey!" Shippo snorted.  He folded his now hoofed arms.  "That so totally wasn't fair!  I'm not going to turn into a pig!  I'm going to grow up and become a strong warrior like Sango, and have even better illusions than you, Sorceress!"

            Miroku turned around to stare at him, his dark eyes hurt at being unnamed in Shippo's future traits.  The emotion was fake, but wholly appeared to be sincere.  "What?  Didn't _I_ teach you anything, Shippo?"

            Shippo's green eyes narrowed blandly.  "With any luck, you'll have taught me to be a pervert and I'll get beaten up by beautiful women."  
            They escorted the others to their rooms, and made plans to meet in the smaller dining room for supper.  Kagome headed to Inuyasha's bedroom, scheming away, as Inuyasha arranged for their dinner with the cooks.  When they found out that, among others, one of the diners was going to be the cute fox cub they remembered from three seasons ago, they not only readily agreed but promised to make lots of deserts.  Inuyasha returned to his rooms, where he found Kagome laying on his bed, reading a book of fairy tales.

            "Did your mother read them to you?" she asked as she placed the book back on the bookcase.  She heard the movement of his long hair as he nodded his hair.  Kagome smiled sweetly.  "My mother told me fairy tales too.  Personally, I always had trouble believing the 'happily ever after' at the end.  It made them appear as if the story just ended.  It shouldn't have ended there, because there's so much more that comes after that.  Maybe they had children.  Maybe they couldn't have children because Prince Charming was impotent so they had to adopt.  Maybe Cinderella was eaten by a dragon and Charming remarried.  Or…."

            She sighed when she felt Inuyasha wrap his arms around her shoulders and pull her against his chest.  She snuggled in close and placed her hands over his, her fingertips playing with the edges of his claws.  "You're rambling, Kagome," he purred, watching her play.  "What's the matter?"

            "It just suddenly hit me when I came into the room.  The last time I was here was a year ago, as of next week.  As of next week, we'll have been engaged a whole year.  Isn't it odd?"

            "I didn't realize it had been so long.  Our anniversary for the first night we were in the castle together.  That pretty much means that we've already passed the anniversary of the day when we actually became engaged.  Um…. So, does that mean you're mad at me for missing our anniversary?"

            Kagome laughed and turned around in his arms, allowing his hands to play with her dark hair.  "So this anniversary you mentioned, would that be the anniversary of the day when we became engaged, or when we met, or when I learned you were the man I was supposed to marry, or what?"  She grinned.  "Inuyasha, let's make our own anniversary.  Let's make it today.  We have our friends here, and dinner planned out, we just had a wonderful walk to the castle, and right now, at this very instant we're alone."  Kagome wiggled out of his grasp and handed him a large folded square of fabric.  "Help me make the bed."

            Together they began to cover the mattress in fresh linen, and Kagome began to speak, sounding perfectly rational.  "Inuyasha, I've been living with you for a whole year.  You've met my family, and they all love you.  You know that you're attracted to me, and if you don't know that I'm attracted to you, then I'm going to ask Sango to give you a knock upside the head with that haraikotsu of hers."

            They began to put on the sheet she had selected.  "Kagome, what's the point to all this?  How come I think that you're going to ask me some…."

            "Let's do it already."

            Inuyasha stared at her.  Her hands were slammed down on the bed, her loose hair framing her face as she stared across the mattress at him.  Had she really interrupted him by asking to have sex with him?  Kagome's face was completely serious.  One of ears twitched.  "Um…."

            "We've been _living together_ for _three hundred and sixty five days_, Inuyasha!  I find you attractive, and I don't see why we can't… take our relationship to the next level or something."  She turned and threw on the blanket she had made for him on the bed.  It was still spotless from the trip.  "If you don't want to have sex, or want to wait until after we're married or something, then fine, I can accept that.  But I still want more.  I want to stop sleeping in that room and sleep next to you at night the way we've been doing these past few days!  I want… I want to walk around the house in a corset just to see your reaction!  I want to…."

            She was cut off when Inuyasha suddenly reached over and pulled her across the bed, crushing his lips to hers.  Caught off guard, he pushed his tongue between her lips and explored her mouth, acting as if he hadn't just done that last night.  Kagome relaxed and closed her eyes, brushing his hair and engaging his kiss in heated battle.  Her relaxation slowly caused her to pull him down to the bed with her.  She moaned, the sound stifled by his mouth, as his hand began an agonizingly slow ascent up her shirt. 

            Without warning, she began to fight back, wrestling with him and vying for a more comfortable position.  There was a tearing sound as the stitches in her shirt began to rip apart from the positions she was putting it through.  Kagome grinned and Inuyasha lifted the dying material from her torso.  She was going to see this thing the whole way through, because she knew that honor meant a lot to Inuyasha and to prove to both of them that she was strong, stronger then they could have imagined.

            Demons mate with biting and licking and stuff?  Fine.  Kagome darted forward and nipped at his neck, her teeth snapping a hair's breadth away from his skin.  Inuyasha's golden eyes warmed as they realized what Kagome was trying to do.  She was trying to initialize the mating ritual.  She wanted to go through with it.  Inuyasha smiled, and stayed his place as she grabbed his shoulder and lifted herself up to nibble on ears gently.  She licked the tips of them, so involved in the moment that she felt and tasted only Inuyasha.  She threw back her head in a long moan as his claws ripped away her chest bindings and threw them aside.

            As his warm lips cooled her burning skin, she laughed suddenly.  This was going to be the most interesting wedding she would ever see.

~*~

            The drawn curtains threw the room into shadows that increased in depth as the sun declined in the sky.  Safely tucked in bed, Kagome was still feeling the tremors leave her body slowly.  She curled up tighter against Inuyasha's chest.  It was too dark for her to see him properly, which is why she tried to inquire as to how things had gone.  Inuyasha merely silenced her with a tender kiss.  He, of course, could see perfectly well, or at the very least, far better than her.

            "That was beautiful, Kagome."  His lips brushed hers as he spoke.  "I can't wait to do that again."

            "And… ah… the claw marks in your back?"

            "They'll heal in no time.  All the marks will.  You, on the other hand, won't be able to heal that quickly, so next time we're going to have to be more careful.  Actually, next time we don't have to be so… loud, or aggressive, or anything with each other.  We're married now, as far as other demons are concerned.  We can do it any way you like."

            She arched an eyebrow at the double meaning of his words.  She yawned, closing her eyes and burying her face in his neck, where she felt the safest. Kagome didn't have to see.  Inuyasha would keep his eyes –and those adorable ears of his- listening for her.  "I'd rub my neck, but I'm to sore…."  She purred when Inuyasha rubbed one side of it for her.  "Honestly, I don't care how we do it, as long as I get to be with you.  My Inuyasha… my husband now."

            He grinned.  He didn't like sounding as if he were a puppy that could be owned, but to be called a husband, Kagome's husband?  That was a musical as they way her voice had called out his name in a moment of passion.  Inuyasha continued to rub her neck for her, listening to the sound of her breathing as she slowly drifted off into sleep.  She had earned it.  Inuyasha knew she was fiery, but…. he had never known just how fiery.  Inuyasha couldn't believe that she had kept up with him in their tussle that had torn apart the freshly made bed.  Or that Kagome had been the one to initiate some of the more… feral parts of the courtship dance.

            Frankly, if she never bit him again, he wouldn't have a problem.  Her teeth were as sharp as Tetsusaiga.  His hands gently touched her skin, watching Kagome's face relax and her body mold against his from his soothing actions.  Already he was certain that she was forgetting some of the pain he had accidentally –yet unavoidably- given her.  As her breathing evened out, his hand slowed its massage, and he allowed his own eyes to close as he started slip into blissful, much needed sleep.

            "I love you, Kagome."

            As he let go of the last strings that connected him to the realm of the wake, he thought that he felt Kagome's hands tighten around his torso, returning the whispered words, but maybe he was already dreaming.

~*~

            The dinner was, in a sense, almost a roaring party.  People were talking, Inuyasha had to keep raising his voice over the others to ask for someone to pass the salt or the pepper, and Miroku kept on saying 'ow' whenever someone accidentally touched one of the bruises forming under his heavy robes.  Sango lowered her eyes and allowed herself the slightest blushes at these moments, her sudden bashfulness a silent apology for Miroku.  After all, she was the causes of those bruises, but now he knew just how painful it was to be slammed against the wall and attacked with kisses.  Even the Sorceress was lending her voice to the conversation, as well as various other sounds.  Rather than asking for food that was at the other end of the table, she merely conjured forth an illusion.  Every now and then, a basilisk or a dwarf could be found walking down the table to deposit the food she wanted in front of her.  When somebody wanted the dishes when she was done with them, she handed it over to them in the same manner.

            Then, halfway through the dinner, there was a sudden, cold, silence.  Those not facing the door turned around.  Even Inuyasha paled slightly.  The only person with a smile on their face still was Kagome.  She wasn't afraid of Sesshomaru, though she new that she should be.  The King slid gracefully in the room.  "Is there room for one more?"

            Without an order, the Sorceress conjured up another chair, and a servant ran to fetch more dishes.  Kagome took them when they brought them up to the small dinning room.  She didn't like seeing people run around like that, without help.  She quickly set up the dishes as she had seen them at her place at the table.  Then she took her seat.  "Kagome, the salad fork goes here, not here.  See that you don't make that mistake again."

            Her face burned. "Yes, sir."  Wait.  Did he just call her by name?  She looked up at him and found his gaze lingering on the hair that was on her shoulder, hiding her throat.  His gold gaze was so intense in penetrated the unprotected shield of her dark hair.  She knew that he was aware of the marks she carried on her neck.  As his gaze slid down her body, until the table blocked his view, she felt his mind pick out every single bite mark and claw indentation she carried.

            "So," he said slowly.  Still, nobody else at the table had spoken.  "You and Inuyasha have wedded."

            That made the table erupt.

            "Congratulations, Inuyasha!"

            "Why weren't we invited, Kagome?"

            "Um, my darling Sango, allow me to explain…"

            "Inuyasha, you better take good care of Kagome or else I'm going to hunt you down wherever you go and… and… Hey, Miroku?"  Shippo's fox tail wavered back and forth with frustration.  "Can you help me finish this threat?"

            "Meow."

            "Did you bite his ears, Kagome?"  That, of course, was from the Sorceress.  Pursing her lips, she looked at the king, studying him.  He sipped at his soup without sound or spill, and she lifted the table linen to see his legs while she thought he wasn't looking.  "Hm.  You have Inuyasha's hair and eyes, but you're prettier looking."

            Inuyasha glared at the Sorceress, but Kagome put her hand over his and leaned over.  "Inuyasha, let your brother have the compliment.  Don't turn this into a beauty contest.  Frankly, you'd lose, Inuyasha.  Your brother _is_ prettier.  But you're handsome. And rugged.  It would be like comparing a flower to a tree.  I prefer the tree.  It's stronger, and will last longer, and will never change.  But flowers are fragile, and will wilt." 

            He patted her hand with his free one.  Thank God she was talking low enough that Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to hear her!  He didn't even want to imagine how Sesshomaru would react to Kagome talking about him _wilting_.  His pride was almost soothed over.  Grinning, he looked at Kagome and mouthed a threat that made her suddenly blush, something about trees and wood….

            Sesshomaru was too busy concentrating on the woman that had called him pretty.  He arched a slender eyebrow, appraising her.  She didn't seem phased at all as she stared back at him, meeting his eyes with her own green ones.  Sesshomaru mentally approved.  Only Kagome had ever met him on such terms before, but she hadn't known any better. This nameless fox spirit did, judging by her etiquette, her proud chin and her straight back.

            "And who might you be to speak to a king thus?"  Shippo shivered from the iciness of his voice.

            Sango offered the response, as should any knight.  "King Sesshomaru, this is Lady… Well, we just call her Sorceress.  She hails from the forest of the bandits, Your Majesty.  Sorceress, this is High King Sesshomaru of the Demon Realm, King of the Eastern Lands, Lord of the Inu-youkai.  He's Prince Inuyasha's half-brother."

            She delicately licked her lips as she set down her fork, her green eyes never having left his.  "A lengthy title."

            'Was that supposed to be a joke of some sort?' Sesshomaru wondered.  Sango had gotten his title perfectly correct, on all accounts.  A King did not thank knights for introductions, but perhaps a compliment paid to Queen Kikyo of the human realm on the depth of their education regarding the demon realm might trickle down to the Lady Knight.  He looked at the Sorceress' visage and set down his own utensil.  "You're no fox spirit. The polite thing to do is to remove your illusions."

            Her gaze questioned him, and he motioned to the chair.  "Fox spirits do not cast magic such as this without so much as even a hand gesture.  Reveal your true shape."  She hesitated, and his lips tightened.  "That is an order."

            The tension nearly blew up the room as the Sorceress stood, her hands held tightly at her sides.  Her fox shape melted away, but turned into a shape like his: tall and slender, with bright gold eyes, delicate fangs and flowing silver hair.  She was mocking him.  "Why should I follow orders from the King?  Where were you in my realm when my people were wiped out by bad weather?  Where are you when are young are being killed off as you burn the forest all to try and find some pest of a human?  You are the person who allowed them to attempt to destroy my home, you did nothing when our kind is caught by young demons and pulled apart piece by piece.  Why should I listen to you?  You're nothing but a pup as I'm concerned."

            'You know,' Sango thought, 'she always had a juvenile quality about her, which is why she and Shippo got along so well.  Suddenly, I think that jejune nature was just an act.'  She thought about that moment longer and mentally sighed.  'Of course. I should have realized it sooner.  That would explain why she wants a husband.  She's not childish at all.'  Sango peeked at the two dog demons that stood facing each other, their tight forms ready to lash out at any second.  'On the other hand, this could just be a highly rationalized childish fit.'

            "I am the King! Do you really want to go to the dungeon that badly for insubordination?"

            She laughed haughtily, her silver hair shaking around her body like flowing water.  "Ha!  You can't be insubordinate if you never had a king in the first place.  Besides, you'd have to catch me first!  Do you really think that your guards got stand to lash snakes on my wrists instead of handcuffs?  Do you really think that you can lash air, or water, or fire?  Can you execute a child in front of other people, or a screaming baby in a quiet execution?  There's nothing you could sentence me to that I couldn't escape from, _Your Majesty_."

            Inuyasha coughed loudly.  "Ah, Sesshomaru?  What does it matter if she looks like another demon?  Why don't we just enjoy supper while it's warm instead of fighting?  Besides, you didn't have to order her.  You could always have just asked."

            Sesshomaru glared at his younger sibling.  Inuyasha's ears went down automatically, although it was clear that he wanted to lash out at his older brother for pulling rank on him.  "Kings don't merely ask."

            "Then maybe they should!" Kagome shouted, standing up.  Her chair slammed to the ground behind her.  "Besides, Kings may have to order, but not _men_.  This isn't a formal gathering, _Sesshomaru_.  It's a family dinner.  So if you can't deal with having to act like a _man_ instead of a _king_ for one measly hour after a whole goddamn day, then maybe you should leave."

            Her friends stared at her, hardly believing what she had said.  Even the king stared at her.  Then he slowly sat back down.  The Sorceress was only a moment behind him in resuming her seat when she saw that Sesshomaru was relenting.  His gold eyes looked at the Priestess approvingly.  He had always said that Kagome was a nice complement to Inuyasha.

            Kagome picked up her chair and smiled at her companions as the red disappeared from her face.  She picked up a bowl.  "More potatoes, anyone?"

            After that, the meal was uneventful until desert.  Everyone gaped at the goodies that the staff had made for them.  Before Shippo could stuff himself full, Kagome took her own plate and piled it high with sweet cakes, squares, and other small treats.  She smiled at everyone.  "I'm going to take this down to the cooks.  Nobody needs this much sugar.  Especially not you, Shippo."

            Inuyasha took her disappearance to discuss something with Sesshomaru that Kagome had got him thinking about.  "Sesshomaru, what would you say if I asked you about taking Kagome with me when you had me chasing down criminals?  She can keep up with me physically, except for when it comes to speed, but I don't mind carrying her. She's a crack shot, and she has that purifying power, as well as intelligence."

            His gold eyes narrowed as he looked at his younger brother.  "Absolutely not.  She's your wife, Inuyasha.  Are you actually going to take her into a dangerous situation just so that you two can screw each other more often?"

            Silence dropped on the table like an elephant demon.  Everyone knew that was a lie and a low blow, except for Sesshomaru.  He, of course, wasn't close enough to either of them to know what had prompted this request.

            The Sorceress, however, did.  She smiled at Inuyasha, her tiny fangs intending her full lips.  "Inuyasha, does Kagome still have a silver mirror with her?  Good.  Remind her of what it can be used for.  That should placate her.  It was meant for Miroku, but if he's okay with it, it's hers." 

            Miroku nodded.  Underneath the table, Sango's hand rubbed his thigh.  She was aware of how uncomfortable he was.  The man who wanted him thrown in jail or possibly executed was three seats down from him.  They smiled at each other.

            "When does Kouga officially become who-know-who?" she whispered into his ear.

            "Oh, a couple of weeks, I'd imagine."  His voice was smooth.  Hearing it, Sango took his hand in hers and placed it on her own leg.

            "Good."  Sango sipped calmly at her wine as his hand slid up her leg.  She wanted to enjoy having a thief for a fiancé for one night more.  At the very least, she wanted to enjoy it for one more night…


	12. Beware Red Herrings

AN: Well, this would be my attempt at writing a relationship I've never actually written before.  As you guys seem to like the other spins I've put on this –let's face it- messed up world, I hope that this will please you.  For those who don't like the coupling, just remember: it's AU.  Oh yes, as for the reference to "High King Prideheart"…. I have Prideheart the kitty Care Bear Cousin sitting on top of Cuddles' (my computer) monitor.  She belongs to their respected properties. ^^  But I own this plushie.

Ex Driver Liz: She can't be Kikyo in disguise. If you remember correctly, Kikyo is the Queen of the Human lands.  Nor is she really a fox demon.  Long live the butterfly demons!  But either way, she kicks some ass!

Lily Thorne: Sesshy's the King.  He's used to being obeyed as well as other things. I mean, if you were a king, and someone you just met was sitting at the table with you and they weren't who they say they are, what else would you do?  For all we know, Sesshy could think that she's the Dread Pirate Roberts.  ^_^  Abd I love that line before, but I think I've used it before. My Muse needs some new inspiration.

Which means, Mybyrdy-chan, that you need to update soon…. Or not. ^_^'  Exams would keep me from reading. *sniffles*

I WILL kick ass on the exams!!

Happy reading, everyone!  This is courtesy of a very early Easter bunny!

Chapter Twelve: Beware Red Herrings

            Her fingers were still trembling as she rocked back and forth in the wooden chair, a heavy book laying on her lap.  'I've got to be crazy,' she told herself, the words on the yellowing pages blurring slightly.  'I can't believe I raised my voice to the King.  The King!'  She shook her head a moment later.  Her hair was once again red.  She rather liked pretending to be a fox spirit.  Her eyes narrowed, trying to focus on the book.  'He's no king of mine.'

            Sighing, she put the fraying book back on the shelf. The small library was so still she could practically hear her breath disturb the tiny pieces of leather and paper that had become torn by age and use.  She didn't feel like reading that book any more.  She selected a new book, one that looked even more worn. The spine of the book had been cracked repeatedly from use.  'It must be good to have been read so often.'

            Settling back in the chair, she conjured up a blanket and wrapped it around her lower body.  She began to read her new book, the sound of the rocking chair creaking on the floor; hardly a comfort in the cold, empty, secluded room.  She felt as if she were back in the tower, all by herself.  This time, not even the butterflies were there to keep her company.  But at least she had the books.  There were two things that she couldn't conjure up: friends and books.  Even the illusions of a butterfly demon had limits.

            When she made something like dragons, she could give it a limited intelligence.  For instance, at Yura's she had told it to chase the brownies.  She couldn't actually make anybody that could carry on a conversation, or who could do anything more than a simple task.  The past few days with her new friends had been a dream come true.  She finally had friends; real people.  Oh, her butterflies were very friendly creatures, but they had only a slightly higher intelligence than the things she created.  They were her friends none the less, and as wonderful as conversations were, she wondered how safe her forest was.

            "What are you doing here?"      

The door had opened behind her and now she leapt to her feet, the book accidentally slipping from her hands.  The speaker bent to pick it up for her, and when he straightened she felt the liquid strength from dinner flow back into her body.  She found herself staring up into gold eyes framed by dark lashes and hair that truly did look silver when compared to the color of his eyes.  She took the book back gently.  Just because she was pissed didn't mean that the book had to be hurt.  "I _was_ reading."

            Finding the Sorceress back into her fox spirit disguise, Sesshomaru was intrigued even more by the possibilities of what lay underneath it.  A low growl emanated from deep in his broad chest, startling himself.  A King was supposed to be too dignified to growl, or to do so only in moments when he wished to challenge somebody.  She was a female, obviously.  In both shapes she had taken, and from her name, she had always been female.  Sesshomaru was not about to challenge a female to a fight.

            "That's right.  You _were_ reading.  This is my personal library.  You may take the book that you have started and vacate.  I wish the book returned to me by tomorrow.  Don't forget your blanket."  He brushed by her to start to examine the books, trying to find something interesting to read for the night.

            The liquid strength made her feel like she was floating.  Maybe she really was; she was a butterfly demon, after all. She placed the book on the shelf so that she was free to grab Sesshomaru's shoulder.  Putting all her strength into her right arm, she pulled the tall man around so that she had to look at her. 

            "Pardon me, but king or not, _why_ do you have a personal library?"  She saw his eyes narrowed at being touched.  His mouth opened to speak as he raised a hand to pull hers off of his silk shirt but she wound the cloth tighter.  He'd have to pry it from her dead hands if he really wanted her to let go.  "People out there are starving for literature because schools and libraries don't have enough to go around and you have a whole _library _to yourself?"

            Instead of prying her fingers off, he merely grabbed her pinky and pulled it back enough so that the sting of her bending flesh made her let go.  His face was as cold as the library.  She should have recognized it as being his the moment she felt the ice in the corners of the room!  "A King cannot change everything."

            "Especially not when he sits, as cloistered as a monk and reading their literature, heedless of the pleas of his people because he has avarice and pride stuck in his ears!" she snapped back.  "Do you know some of the records that are in here?  These are _school_ books.  _Reference _books.  There's the history and politics of every species here!  If you're too greedy about your belongings to give books away, then have you ever thought of sending them out to be copied?"

            He blinked.  Apparently he hadn't.

            "It's simple.  Work projects, the same kind that High King Prideheart used during the depression period 700 years ago.  If you pay money to the monastery for the monks to reproduce these texts, then they'll in turn use the donation to help the poor people.  Who will then buy food, giving money to the farmers, who will in turn have money to pay for their taxes, which come back to you.  Then, money can actually be made when you sell the books for a small profit to libraries or schools, with the intent to increase literacy and intelligence so that people will have the skills they need to get jobs of higher demands."

            Sesshomaru stared at her.  His jaw was actually open.  He released the finger he still held, appraising her.  Slowly, his jaw closed.  "And you say that you were brought up in the _woods_?"

            The Sorceress rolled her eyes.  "Sir Sango said that I was living in the woods, not that I was brought up there.  Although I was.  And before you ask, I don't know anything at all about your thief.  I keep my lands closed up to many people. In fact, over the centuries that I've held the place, I think that less that a hundred people have crossed the boundary between the Butterfly Forest and the land owned by the crown."

            He handed her the blanket and moved the rocking chair closer to the desk, offering it to her.  "Please, join me?  I'll have some drinks brought up for us.  I wish to hear more about these injustices that you see in my rule.  When I die I want the books to say that I improved our society, and from the way you speak, I fear that it might not be so.  I don't get a chance to speak to all my people, but I have the chance to speak to you, so will you speak on behalf of those who have no voice?"

            She accepted the chair.  Drinks of hot chocolate were brought up for the Sorceress and a richer drink for the king.  Soon he was bringing out pens and paper for them, so that they could sketch down ideas and diagrams for their explanations.

            Finishing off the last of her hot chocolate, the Sorceress yawned, covering her mouth with a hand.  She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders as she leaned on the wooden the desk.  "I think I should be getting to sleep soon.  I've been threatening to nod off since dinner."  Looking up, she caught a faint trace of superiority in his eyes, thinking that he was better because he could stay awake longer and she straightened in the rocking chair. 

            He found himself pondering about the female across from him more and more.  He didn't want to be the first one to look away as they glared at each other, neither one forgetting all the heated words that had taken place between them, but he relented.  Sesshomaru looked down at the notes that they had made together.  He leaned back in his chair.  "So, if you were brought up in seclusion, how did you become so well-versed in history and politics?"

            "Just because I might not have attended university like you, Sesshomaru, to articulate my skills to a killing point, that doesn't make me an idiot.  I know all about economics and politics because I do read.  I enjoy them because they are so close to my business, and I deal in reciprocity.  I am a businesswoman."  She held her chin high and casually began to examine her nails for signs of tear or dirt.  "As for history, it was in my lifetime that Prideheart stabilized the economy, or that a truce was struck between the human and demons so that they could band together against the realm of the dead, or anything else that we discussed this evening.  It all seems like yesterday to me, if it was something that I made a close mark on."

            "You are a butterfly demon, are you not?" he inquired casually.  She nodded, and was surprised when he smiled. What didn't surprise her was that his smile was arrogant and lazy, as cold as the rest of the room.  She wished that she really was a kitsune just so that she could summon up some fox fire and see if he would melt instead of burn.  "I thought so.  I couldn't think of any other type of demon that uses illusion and has the power to change their own bodies."

            He set aside the papers that they had filled with ideas, and calmly folded his hands on the desk.  He leaned over the wooden structure without rising from his seat.  His gold eyes returned to hers.  "May we dispense with royal business now?"

            She nodded, and saw his shoulders relax slightly.  No amount of relaxing could make Sesshomaru lose his aristocracy, metal body or lack of warmth.  The Sorceress looked at him suspiciously.  "Let me guess.  Now I'm speaking to Sesshomaru the Man as opposed to Sesshomaru the King."

            "Precisely."  His dark lashes were drastically visible as he slowly blinked and they momentarily laid against his skin.  "Now, Sorceress, would you please allow me to speak to your real face?"

            "What else is there to talk about?  I don't want to speak to Sesshomaru the man.  I may have spoken on behalf of the voiceless for the past few hours because you asked me to; yes, you did ask.  Otherwise I would have been slightly more elusive about being pulled into a debate.  Now I wish to speak for myself and for my people specifically.  I can't do that speaking to Sesshomaru the Man when, as much as it pains me to say this, I need to speak to the King."

            He shook his head.  The metal that the Sorceress had sensed in him encased his body.  Whatever he had decided, he what about to concede.  "Do your people justice, Sorceress.  Wait until tomorrow, when you are fully awake to ensure that you make the best argument possible on behalf of your people.  It is two am.  I have to be up in four hours to start my day by meeting with the bat people to discuss night traffic laws with them and the owls.  I only asked because I wanted to wish goodnight to your real face.  Wouldn't that be the polite thing to do?"

            She thought about this a moment, a slow bush beginning to creep across her cheeks.  "You really do care about your people, don't you, Sesshomaru?  You're like your brother in that matter, pretending that you don't care about everything when in reality you would die to protect them.  That's why you stayed up so late with me, why you won't get any sleep at all tonight so that you can meet with the demons which only come out at night…."

            Waving a hand, he silenced her.  She stopped her rambling, and she knew that she had been perfectly correct.  That's why he was trying to silence her; before she embarrassed him.  He had let her ramble on about other things, like poor living conditions or unemployment because she was justified in doing so.  However, making an assessment of his nature was out of her jurisdiction.

            Her form shrank until she was only slight over three feet in height.  Her hair went from dusky fox red to black, complete with cowlicks that she had not learned to hide.  Her eyes turned from emerald green to chocolate brown, though their curiosity and inner shine only grew.  Her nose was rounded, dusted with freckles that would have seemed better suited to the red head.  She wore a kimono that had been hemmed down to size and patched by clumsy fingers.  The Sorceress easily could have given herself a rich kimono, but should her illusion ever vanish, she would be left naked, so something had to hide her modesty.  Lastly, orange, stained glass wings with white spots along the edge sprouted from her back. Unlike the gossamer of real butterfly wings, these were tougher, so that one could touch them and she would still be able to fly afterward.

            Sesshomaru found himself staring at a girl around the age of ten, if barely that.  Her cute face and swinging legs were a complete lie to the sharp brain and tongue that she hid.  Sesshomaru felt almost ashamed.  He had been reprimanded by a child?  A very smart child.

            The Sorceress rolled her eyes and crossed her short arms, her legs still swinging back and forth over the edge of her chair.  "I get that look a lot.  That's why I always use the blonde image to hide behind, and I try not to be so quick with my words, unless it's needed.  People suspect you less when you look like a blonde princess.  When you're smart and pretty, people start to get suspicious and rude because they feel belittled.  Same thing goes when they see you and you look like me, but historically know more than them."

            "Precisely how old are you?"

            "I stopped counting after I hit six hundred and fifty-three," she shrugged.

            Sesshomaru thought about this, trying to figure out how it worked.  Then he remembered, and slowly nodded.  He was only one hundred and twenty.  She was old enough to be his grandmother, yet she looked young enough to be his child.  Butterfly demons had one of the oddest cycles of demon lives, because they had one of the more prominent abilities to heal themselves.  They started life as caterpillars, aged, then spun their cocoons and aged again.  Finally, if they survived that, then they emerged in the final years of their life, the age when they were actually butterflies.  She was in the last stage of her life; at least, she was at the very beginnings of the final leg of her journey.

            "I've been like this for only five years.  The first fifteen years of our lives in the third part of our development occur quickly, then it slows down to slightly below the normal aging speed for demons.  We have to physically mature quickly because this is the reproduction stage of our lives and we have to lay as many young as possible to ensure that at least one offspring will survive.  Mentally we've been ready for this part of our lives since we spun the pupae.  That stage only lasts about three or four human lifetimes, luckily, as we are totally defenseless.  I have about another three hundred years of life left."

            "That would mean that when you die, you would be over a thousand years old."

            "Well, we butterflies are the longest lived of all the demons.  I suppose that's nature's way of asking forgiveness for over six centuries of being blind."  She shrugged, and stood up.  Her blanket had not vanished when she changed her shape.  Too small to see him properly from the front of the desk, she walked around to stand beside him. Her blanket trailed on the ground.  Much to his pleasure, she gave a little curtsy.  "Good night, Sesshomaru."

            "Ah."  He hated feeling tongue tied, but there was still a little matter of her name to clear up.

            Her cheeks held a faint blush, but she didn't stop looking at him in the eye.  She didn't care if in the dog-world she was challenging him to a fight, mainly because she didn't actually know that.  She wanted to make it perfectly clear that just because she looked like a little kid he shouldn't underestimate her.  She wanted him to understand that she was far from being afraid of him, or one of the women that she had seen around the castle who would do anything to get in his favor.  "My name is Rin."

            "Goodnight, Rin," he said, slightly inclining his head.

            Rin didn't leave.  Instead, the blanket drooped slightly as she put her hands on her hips.  "Sesshomaru!  Don't you know anything at all about etiquette?  You're supposed to give a lady a kiss goodnight, or escort her to her rooms or something!"

            He once again tightened his muscles.  Something about Rin -besides the creep factor that she was a seven hundred year old demon in the body of a ten year old girl- put him off.  Sesshomaru found himself confused around her, treading carefully so as not upset that volatile temperament she readily displayed.  Yet when she wasn't being angry, she was a model of a young lady: polite, intelligent….

            Sesshomaru stood up, and took her hand.  He should have taken her arm, but the height difference between them would have made it awkward for one, if not both, of them.  "You know, Lady Rin, that I will try to pass some of the suggestions that we have decided on, but I can't actually guarantee that they will be happen.  A King is subject to only one thing: law.  If the courts refuse to pass our suggestions, then there's nothing I can do, except try again in a few months. Hopefully by then they will have forgotten that I even suggested it earlier."

            She leaned her head on his arm, and yawned directions to her room so he knew where to escort her.  Rin snuggled into the silk of his cuffs, frowning when the buttons got in the way.  "I know that.  But I can still hope.  There's always hope."  She blinked, thinking, and smiled.  She waved her free hand, and then went back to snuggling into the silk.

            "What was that about?"

            Rin yawned.  She was too tired to cover it, and her tongue accidentally licked his hand in the process.  He tasted good.  "It was a thank you.   I asked Sango to find me a suitable husband, and she led me to you.  Let's face it, Sesshomaru.  You need a woman in your life.  You need a woman like me.  For one, my illusions can come in pretty handy.  I could help you duck out of boring dances for a little bit, you'll always have variety in your bed chamber as I can assume any female form, and you know that I could lash those courtiers into respectable people, the way the demon court used to be.  There should be none of this Manten, Dread Pirate Roberts going on.  I would also be a good envoy for human relations because I can appear fully human.  And then… then…"

            He felt a tugging at his sleeve as she rambled, Sesshomaru listening.  Once or twice some of those same thoughts might have crossed his mind.  He looked down and found her staggering on her feet, trying to stay focused just on staying awake.  Without so much of a second thought, he knelt down and picked her up.  Sesshomaru let her arms wrap around his neck, stroking his silver hair as he carried her in his left arm.  By the time they reached her room, she was fast asleep.  Sesshomaru opened the door with his free hand and pulled down the well-made blankets of her bed before untangling her short fingers from his hair.  He tucked her in, and waited a moment, his marble face considerate in the solitude of Rin's bedroom.


	13. Beginnings and Endings

AN: Well, I had a lot of writer's block on this one, but thanks to a couple of nightmares and a dire need to write fluff, I got it finished.  I think I managed to put a little comedy in this as well.  I do, however, apologize for how long this chapter took.   Gah!  I finally found Acrophobia again and my stupid connection won't let me play…. *dramatic sigh*  Hopefully this is just a sweet enough ending to leave everyone satisfied. ^^

Lily Thorne: Perky.

Dragon Man 180: *preens*  Thank you.  The age difference will eventually write itself.  The other nice thing, which Rin neglected to make clear: as the butterfly demons are supposed to procreate at least once a year during this time, Sesshy should have some fun.  Then again, one has to wonder what a butterfly/dog demon would look like….

Liz: well pooh to you!  Figuring out who my big surprise could have been!  I knew that I should have made her be Ayame to explain why she liked Kouga!!

Mybyrdy: Ah, Rin and Sesshy.  Rin's just so… cute.  I hope I don't leave you disappointed with this chapter.  My muse just upped and left on me!    I do, actually, have a good idea for another story, I just wonder if it has been overly done or not.    Maybe I'll go ahead and do it anyway.  Either way, it could be fun. ^^  

Enjoy!  And see you all next fic, as always…  And I didn't finish with a very overused 'happily ever after', but for all those who find this somewhat lacking, simply add on the last line from 'Ever After'.

"And while they did live happily ever after, the point, gentleman, is that they _lived_."

Chapter Thirteen:  Beginnings and Endings

            He folded his arms around her waist, laying his head on her stomach, blissfully ignorant of the beads of sweat on her skin.  All he knew was that she smelled good, she was squishy to lay on, she was willing to let his teeth and claws near the soft underside of her body, and that she was happy and satisfied.  Inuyasha licked her skin, smiling when she let out a soft laugh that melted into a contended sigh.  She slowly reached up and played with his ears, scratching the harder side and rubbing the softer one.  Inuyasha held her tighter.  He never wanted to let her go.

            "Which one did you like better?" she asked, though she was uncertain if Inuyasha was the type of person who liked to talk after sex.  Last time they had been too tired to talk.  This time she was left with a warm, fuzzy feeling that encased her whole body, and was only slightly tired.

            "I don't care," he said, closing his eyes and relaxing.  When her fingers squeezed a bit too hard, he reinstated his answer.  "I… kind of liked them both.  I liked this one because it lasted longer and seemed… happier.  No," he corrected himself, recalling the place from where Kagome had saved him.  "I liked it because it was more loving.  Because I could tickle you and make you laugh, and then… well, what do I need to tell you what I did when you were laughing? You were there.  But I like the other one because you're so cute when you try be feral.  And it gave me an excuse to bite you and wrestle for positions and everything."

            Kagome laughed and sat up, pulling Inuyasha up with her from her shoulders.  She began to kiss his chin, her lips and nose feeling her way in the darkness of Inuyasha's bedroom.  "You know, I kind of liked the wrestling bit too.  I like making you fight for your rewards.  In all honesty, I also kind of liked the growling and biting that you do."

            Taking her hint, a rumble started in his chest, and he ran the tip of his fangs over her bottom lip before kissing her.  Kagome managed to sneak out a snicker before he pulled her over backwards, laying her down on the blanket that she had made for him.  Reaching behind him, he grabbed the pillows, grinned, and hit her with it gently.

            Her anger flared up as he knew it would.  Inuyasha watched, feeling his arousal start to grow as she struggled to get the pillow from him and retaliate.  As she stretched to grab the pillow just out of reach, he suddenly stopped, worried.  His white ears twitched.  Seeing his concern, Kagome also stopped.

            "Do you hear that?"

            "Yes," she giggled.  "Sango and Miroku have worn themselves out."

            Shaking his head, he put the pillow down and climbed off the bed, striking up a candle.  Turning back to Kagome, he took her wrist and around it, he wrapped his hand, taking her pulse.  Kagome didn't notice this as she stared at the blanket.  

            "Inuyasha?" she gently called out her name, running her free hand across the patchwork blanket.  It felt like Inuyasha's hair.  The patches she had sewn were outlined in midnight black, the squares themselves were woven from silver strands that shimmered blood red and ocean blue depending on how it was hit by the candlelight.  It hadn't been looking this since before…. "Before we had sex," she recalled.

            Her half demon husband hadn't heard her.  He was too busy counting her heart beat and then calculating how many times her heart would beat in a minute.  When he had it, he dropped her hand.  "Kagome, your heart beat is half of what it should be.  Are you feeling okay?"

            "What?" she whispered.  She held her own wrist.  He was right: her heartbeat was strong, but frighteningly slow.  "But… but I feel perfectly fine!  Why, why would this happen?  I mean, I'm speaking normally, right?  I'm thinking and breathing at the normal rate.  It should be impossible that I would have a heart rate like this and still be this hyper or energetic… I mean, I just had goddamn sex!  Why…."

            He kissed her cheek and rubbed her back, letting her lean against him.  He heard her heartbeat return to normal and told her that.  She let out her captured breath and relaxed, pondering this phenomenon.  Slowly, her mind drifted away from her unsettling heartbeat as Inuyasha placed soothing kisses down her neck.  He stopped at the crook of her neck to take extensive measures to ensure that this new problem was far from them.  In a manner of speaking, this was their honeymoon night, and Inuyasha didn't want to leave the bed for anything, let alone thinking that something was wrong with Kagome's heart.

            Her head fell back, giving him more room so that he could lick her neck, meticulously grooming her.  "Inu…"  He suddenly stopped before she could finish moaning his name.

            "It changed again."

            Kagome's head shot back up.  She was no fool.  She immediately saw the connection.  Kagome thought about something else, thinking of the most boring things she could: carpets, leaves, dirt, and rocks.  Her heartbeat returned to normal, and she all but threw herself on to Inuyasha, lavishing his skin with kisses and rubbing her naked form against his.  In a flash he was vying for control, his teeth grazing her skin.  As they passed by sensitive flesh, she let her mind wander again, imagining his hands….

            It happened again.

            "Inuyasha, it changes every time I think about you."  He gave her a look of disbelief.  "No, really!  Every time it's happened, I was thinking about you touching me in some way or another."  She managed to smile faintly.  "Now all I have to do is to figure out why…"

            She was cut off from the sound of something scratching at the window.  Had they been in their cottage, Kagome easily might have written it off as a branch scarping against the pane, but there weren't any trees near Inuyasha's window.  They glanced at each other and got out of bed.  Kagome threw on a robe while Inuyasha, having no sense of modesty, opened the blinds.  They found a white owl hovering at their window, scraping his claws against the window, demanding entry.  He held a large envelope in his beak.

            Kagome pulled open the latch to allow their visitor into the bedroom.  Whoever he was, he was a messenger.  Inuyasha, only slightly grumpy from having his possible intercourse with Kagome derailed because of something neither or them understood _and_ a pesky owl, said something rude about what he would do to the owl if he shed in the bedroom.

            Opening the letter, Kagome smiled and clapped, jumping on Inuyasha's back.  She was trying to put him in a good mood by rubbing him the right way.  "Inuyasha! Look!  It's from the oracle!"

            "Well, don't just screech in my ear, woman.  Tell me what it says."

            Kagome read the letter outloud.

_Dear Kagome,_

_            My power has shown me that you have rescued Miroku and Inuyasha.  Congratulations!  I knew you could do it all along.  It also showed me that you finished your weaving.  Sango and I, while talking as you were freshening up before you left our company, mentioned that you knew nothing about this cloth, save that you were supposed to think of your love for Prince Inuyasha has you wove it.  Whether or you have invoked its power is not any of my business, but please, allow me to explain to you about this cloth and why you must treasure it._

_            I told you that you would find a way to prolong your life so that you and Inuyasha would age in sync in with each other, that way you would not grow old and die while he still lives.  The cloth that you carried was, in fact, the way.  It is spun from the silk of a certain demon who enjoys playing games with the hearts of humans, creating odd couples and trying to drive other ones apart.  By thinking of Inuyasha as you spun the silk of this –if you pardon the pun- 'love bug', you entwined together its power of uniting people and your love for Inuyasha._

_            Nobody, as of now, is quite sure how and why these two things manage to weave together so thoroughly, or how the magic they create when woven are able to create the affects desired by the weaver.  However, if my theory is correct, it will help prolong your life.  The blanket you made, once spread out on you bed or used to keep you warm when wrapped around you, will actually slow down your aging.  It will only slow it down so long as you are in contact with the blanket, sleeping on it or under it or wrapped in it.  It will also only work so long as Inuyasha shares it with you, or you are thinking about him, because that's the person who is woven into the cloth with you._

_            I do not yet know how these powers are able to manifest themselves yet in your body.  Perhaps everything will simply slow, or maybe it won't even be noticeable.  Perhaps you will become more demon-like, sharing their invisible powers of slower aging.  Either way, I pray that this letter comes to you in time, and that you won't worry should there be any side effects once you start using the blanket._

_Sincerely, _

_Kanna___

_P.S.  Write back, please!  It's so boring here with that damn goat-demon watching the bridge.  _

            They thanked the owl and sent him down to the kitchen for some food and rest, telling him to stay the night and leave the next evening.  It would also give Kagome time to write back a letter to the Oracle.  Kagome folded up the letter neatly and tucked it away in the desk drawer.

            Inuyasha stared at the blanket he was sitting on.  "I suppose that must be what prompted the change in the blanket.  It was activated once we started using it… wait.  We were using it for awhile, but it didn't change.  Not until we… Kagome, if the cloth reacts to the object of your thoughts when you spun it, and if you follow it through, then the same subject, so… did you actually spin this whole thing while thinking about having sex with me?"

            "No!" Kagome protested, blushing deeply.  "Inuyasha, I love you because of more than just the fact that I'm attracted to you.  So I thought about your smile, and cuddling with you, and watching you bake and how good your baking tastes."  She slid into his lap and wrapped her arms around him, her fingers sliding through his silver hair.  "I thought about listening to the stories of your childhood and watching you fight, and I thought about you playing with Kirara and helping me in the garden.  I thought about you always being there to catch me, and how much I miss you when you're away.  In closing," Kagome said with a grin, "I thought about every single thing about you that makes me love you."

            His hands began to undo the knot of her robe, allowing her scent to surround him as it drifted off her body.  "Then why is it that this no aging thing only started now as opposed to a when we were on the road and sharing the blanket?"

            Kagome thought for a second, as hard as it was with his breath tickling her skin and the feeling of his hands pressing against her body.  "Maybe it was because that up until last night, you were just my fiancé.  Now you're my husband though, so maybe that's what activated the magic."  As his lips kissed her neck, she began gently stroking his ears.  "Inuyasha… haven't you been satisfied already?"

            "No," he growled, his teeth scraping her neck.  "You better get used to it, Kagome.  Face it, you're not even going to be let out of bed until this night is over."  

At that same time….

            "Get back here you…."  Sango let out a long line of obscenities that she had picked up in her years of knighthood.  Miroku looked back in the room, barely able to believe what she had just said.  She glared at him from on the bed.  "What?"

            "I can't believe that I kissed that same mouth."  Miroku came back in the bedroom and sat beside her on the bed, smiling all the while patiently.  He'd finally got Sango right where he wanted her to get payback for getting kicked off the bed so many times, and slapped for grabbing her so many times.  She couldn't kick or slap if she couldn't move her hands and legs.  He kissed her swiftly, and licked his lips, contemplating.  "And yet you still taste sweet."

            He sighed as he groped her, hearing her growl when she squirmed to slap him.  Miroku laughed at her, until his laughter suddenly died out.  He groped her harder, and she let out a squeak.  Usually Miroku wasn't that rough.  He apologized and removed his hand from her derriere.  Sitting away from her, he –nearly- forgot all about Sango as he ran a finger down the center of his hand.  His body broke out into a cold sweat.

            'It has to be my imagination.  It has to be a lingering memory.  It… my hand feels like it did when I was with the Sorceress.  It feels like… like the wind tunnel is gone….'

            Sango sat up, tossing the rope over the side of the bed.  She came up beside him and pushed the rope off from around her ankles with her feet.  Miroku didn't know how to tie knots.  She cuddled into his chest, and arm wrapping around his.  Thougfh concerned, she was already plotting her own revenge. "Miroku, what's wrong?"

            "My… my hand…."  Pointing it away from them, he slowly unwound the prayer beads looped around his hand.  He just… needed to be certain.  The cloth that covered his hand fell down, but nothing happened.  There wasn't even a breeze coming from the center of his palm.  Miroku pulled his hand back, staring at it.  The hole was gone.

            And there was a butterfly in its place.

            Looking confused, they watched the butterfly float away, winding around them and leaving sparkling fairy dust in its wake.  Sango smiled when she realized it was nothing more than a sign left behind by the person who had healed the hole.  She smiled, ignorant of the diamond-like dust settled in her dark hair.  "Thank you," she told the butterfly.  After that, it vanished, as if to go and relay her message to the Sorceress.

            Miroku rose an eyebrow as he turned to look at her, as if realizing that she was there for the first time.  For him, it almost was like the first time.  It would be the first time his skin could feel hers as they held each other at night, or the first time the paln felt her hair, and he didn't have to worry about prayer beads catching on anything.  His knuckles were white as they wrapped around his wrist, holding his shaking right hand steady.

            Noticing the shaking of his hand, Sango reached out to touch his, and he quickly pulled away.  He reached out to begin closing his hand up again.  "No.  It might not be safe.  It's probably some kind of mental trick, or illusion again, or I'm probably dreaming…."

            "Do you trust me?" Sango asked calmly, her brown eyes steadily gazing up at him with love and respect.  He nodded.

Sango smiled at him lovingly and took his newly remade hand in hers.  She kissed his fingertips and then pulled off the beads the rest of the way, placing them around his neck.  Sango removed the rest of the glove and threw it across the room.  Taking the cloth that had always kept his hand covered, she tied it in her hair.  Sango wanted a souvenir.  She left the ring on his finger.  Pulling on the beads, her smile grew into a grin as she pulled her shocked fiancé down to her level for a kiss.

            Placing her lips against his, she kissed him softly, barely touching him.  Sango rested her forehead against his, letting their lips touch as she spoke.  "I am so proud of you."  She closed her eyes, giving him another little kiss.  "I love you, houshi-sama.  Can I please put Dread Pirate Roberts on hold so that I can have my future husband for tonight?" Sango asked hopefully, in a husky and soothing voice.

            "As you wish," he chuckled, his voice raspy from his shuddering breath.  Without the kazaana, without knowing how it was taken away from him, he felt suddenly very small, and without the wrapping on his hand, his worry that it was all a trick increased.  But the trust her, and so his nose nudged hers and he closed his right hand around her fingers, letting her nails scratch at the skin carefully, wanting to rekindle as many memories of what it felt like to have a palm as was possible.  "Sango, I don't understand it though…."

            Her cheeks turned pink. "You stupid, perverted monk," she told him lovingly.  "You're not supposed to understand.  It's a girl thing.  The Sorceress had the power to heal your hand for you, and she did, out of the kindness of her heart.  Deep down, I think it's because that I somehow led her to the person she wants to spend the rest of her life with, the say 'I do' with you type, and she wants us to be as happy as she is.  And that means that you'll be able to brush my hair without getting the beads tangled in it, and you can feel things again, and many other things.  Oh, and it means I can finally do this!"

            She snuck her head out from under his to bring his hand to her lips, and she gave the palm a gentle kiss before sliding it up to her cheek, rubbing it against her cheek as if it were velvet.  Letting out a sound of contentment, she moved her mouth closer to the center of his palm and kissed him again.  Her lips moved up to his fingers, and Miroku slowly felt himself become more at ease.  His hand slid down her body, and he pressed against her.  

            Unable to forget the fact that one minute ago he had not had a complete hand, or that he could accidentally kill everyone he loved, or the fear that the responsibility given to him might in fact, return, he none the less bowed to her trust, and for the first time it what would become a very long time, the Dread Pirate Roberts and Sir Sango were nowhere to be found.  Instead, it was simply Miroku and Sango.


End file.
